As the Fog Clears
by Macavity
Summary: Action! Mystery! Intrigue! Well, that got your attention. This is a story for my buddy FOG, as a little B-day present. The fog of betrayal often clouds our lives. And one girl is about to learn just how thick that fog can be... *CHAPTER 3 IS UP!*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If they were mine, this would be a real episode, not a fan- fiction! grumble  
  
Yami: Look at it this way, Macavity: you don't have to plague the world with your crappy drawings! Leave it to the pros.  
  
Me: MY DRAWINGS ARE NOT CRAPPY!  
  
Seto: Yeah, Yami, I saw you drooling over that one she did of Jamie Light.  
  
Yami: blush Shut up.  
  
Me: Look, while I love seeing this display of masculinity and all, we have a fic to write!  
  
Seto: Oh, jeez, no.  
  
Yami: Please, we beg you-  
  
Me: Too late! Let's write!  
  
Author's Notes: Once upon a time, a girl named Macavity decided to write a romance fan-fiction. This is the story of how she failed. Miserably. Unfortunately, this is not a part of the "Shattered" trilogy, but I have so much writers block it's not even funny. Man, do I need some Mountain Dew right about now.  
  
Anyway, in my opinion, it's freakishly long (I set a personal record on it), and the ellipses are screwed up, but just deal with it, okay?  
  
Special Dedication: This fic is dedicated to a good friend of mine here on Fan-Fiction.Net, and while I can't say I know her personally, I am proud to call her my friend. As long as I've known her, she's been supportive of me, so if you're reading this (and you know who you are), this story is dedicated to you. Here's to hoping you have a great birthday. It's not wrapped or tied with a bow, but this is my present to you.  
  
Yu-Gi-Oh!  
  
As the Fog Clears  
  
By Macavity  
  
~*~*~  
  
The new girl stared wistfully out the window of the minivan as it rolled through the streets of Domino City. A strand of ebony hair fluttered as she turned her head to glare at her mother.  
  
"I still don't understand why we had to move here!" she complained, absently stroking the gray tabby cat that sat in her lap. "I was happy back home! Why couldn't Dad have found another job back home?"  
  
"Shemeeka Tsumachiro, you know better than to talk to your father in that tone," her mother cautioned, his voice stern. "And you know very well why we moved."  
  
"Right," Shemeeka said flatly. Then, mockingly: "The job pays better here, and little sweetie has to go to college, and a nice girl like you will make new friends in no time-"  
  
"That's quite enough!" her father exclaimed angrily. "There will be no more talk of it! This is where we live, and that's final."  
  
Shemeeka carefully hid a scowl and stroked the cat once again. 'I don't care what they say,' she thought. 'There's no way I'm going to like it here. It's not fair that I had to leave all my friends!'  
  
Little did she know how wrong she was.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Yugi Mutou shuffled through his Duel Monsters deck, staring absently at his Dark Magician card. He was sitting on the window seat in the Turtle Game Shop, thinking about his last duel.  
  
Joey Wheeler, his best friend, had actually come close to beating him that time. While Yugi was proud of his friend, he still couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed. "Did Joey somehow get really good? Or am I just losing it?" he moaned.  
  
"I doubt Joey is even capable of getting 'really good', aibou, so I guess it must be the second one," a voice from behind him said.  
  
Yugi didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "Come on, Yami, you know Joey isn't that bad."  
  
"Yes, aibou, but he's not that good, either," Yami replied, running his fingers through his golden bangs.  
  
"And what are you getting all dolled up over?" Yugi inquired, surprised that his Yami actually bothered to brush out his hair.  
  
Yami just grinned at him. "What, you don't like the outfit?" he asked.  
  
In truth, Yugi had to admit that Yami really did look good. Instead of his customary leather, he wore a pale blue button-down shirt with a pair of khaki cargo pants. It seemed, however, that Yami was incapable of not wearing leather, so he'd donned a black leather jacket. Altogether, the Game King looked stunning.  
  
"I didn't say that. I wanted to know where you're going," Yugi replied.  
  
Yami's grin got wider. "Seto wants me to meet his girlfriend. Think I look spiffy enough?"  
  
Yugi groaned. "Yami, please tell me you're not going to try and lure this one away too!"  
  
Yugi was referring to the fact that, the last three times Yami had met Seto's girlfriends, they all ended up spending the entire time drooling over him and ignoring Seto. This fact, of course, annoyed Seto to no end, but he really couldn't be mad at his best friend, so the brunette resigned himself to putting up with it.  
  
Yami shook his head. "Apparently, this one is different."  
  
"How so?" Yugi wanted to know.  
  
"Well, Seto is absolutely positive that she can beat me at Super Smash Brothers, so I'm taking him up on his offer. And by the way, I stand to win ten bucks if I beat her," Yami replied, winking at Yugi as he noted the black limousine drive up.  
  
Yami and Yugi walked out of the Turtle Game Shop to greet Seto. The brunette CEO exited the limo with the same air of natural grace he always possessed. His customary blue trench coat billowed in the wind as he came to stand next to Yami.  
  
Yami looked Seto over for a moment. "Darn you, you've grown another inch since I saw you last!" he complained.  
  
Seto grinned. "Hardly, considering I last saw you yesterday, Yami. Get over it, you're not going to get any taller! You're just jealous."  
  
Yami rolled his eyes. "You and your stupid logic." He wagged a finger at Seto. "So, where is this mystery girl you're so desperate for me to meet?"  
  
The brunette smiled slyly. "She's in the car. Ready to kick your butt, by the way."  
  
"Ha!" Yami scoffed. "No one can beat Link in Super Smash Brothers!"  
  
"She will. And she'll do it as Zelda, too."  
  
Yami graced Seto with another eye-roll. "Like some rich brat in a dress can beat Link. Right. Sure. Mmm-hmm. I believe that."  
  
"You'd be surprised. She beat Mokuba. In fact, she-"  
  
"Hey, look over there!" Yugi interrupted, pointing at the minivan that had pulled into the driveway across the street from the Game Shop. "Looks like someone finally bought that house!"  
  
"Noooooo!" Seto moaned. "I was going to buy that lot, too! Crap!"  
  
Yami snickered, elbowing Seto. "Awww, looks like the master plans for world domination are going to have to wait another day."  
  
"Shut up, Yami."  
  
"Don't you think we should go over and say hello?" Yugi asked pointedly.  
  
Yami and Seto just kind of stared at each other. "Um, no?" Yami offered sheepishly.  
  
"Yami!"  
  
"Okay, okay, aibou. Why don't you go over and say hi, and we'll try and figure out a way to explain why I look exactly like you," Yami said, a touch of sarcasm in his tone.  
  
Yugi groaned. Yami could be so stubborn sometimes. "Fine. I'll-"  
  
He cut off as he noticed the back door opening. Immediately, a streak of gray flew out of the car and up a maple tree in the front yard. A black- haired girl raced out after it. "Teresa, come back here!" she cried.  
  
Yugi didn't bother to think about what he was doing. He immediately sprinted across the road and to the girl's side. "Can I be of some help, miss?"  
  
The girl turned, staring at him with soft aqua eyes. They immediately brightened as she looked at Yugi. "Oh, could you? My cat just ran out of the car and into the tree, and I can't get her down! Teresa usually isn't like this."  
  
"I'll get her down," Yugi said decisively, immediately leaping straight up and pulling himself up to the lowest branch.  
  
Back across the street, Yami and Seto just watched, amused.  
  
"I didn't know Yugi could jump that high," Yami mused.  
  
"Face it, Yami. When you're short, things impress you too much," Seto teased.  
  
Yami just grinned at him. "I'm not short. I'm just vertically challenged."  
  
Seto couldn't help but laugh. "You've got a point there."  
  
"Shhh!" Yami said, turning his eyes back to Yugi. "I want to see what he does."  
  
Yugi had made it up to the branch just below where Teresa sat, hissing. "Don't be afraid, kitty, I'm not going to hurt you," he said in a soft, singsong voice. "I'm just going to help you down, I won't hurt you."  
  
"Be careful!" the girl cried, covering her eyes. "I can't watch."  
  
Tentatively, Yugi reached up and stroked the cat's back. It immediately purred and settled down on the branch, content to let Yugi pet it. Then, with one smooth motion, Yugi grabbed the cat and clutched it to his chest, carefully lowering himself down.  
  
When he reached the bottom, the girl rushed up and snatched the cat out of Yugi's arms. "Oh, Teresa, don't ever do that again," she exclaimed, rubbing her cheek against the cat's soft fur.  
  
Then she looked up at Yugi. "Thank you so much! I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me!"  
  
It was then that the girl got her first glimpse of Yugi's incredibly violet eyes. She immediately became tongue-tied and was barely able to stammer, "I- Is there some way I can r-repay you?"  
  
Yugi smiled cheerily. "Just glad to help! Do you live here?"  
  
"Yes," the girl replied. "I just moved here."  
  
"Well, it's very nice to meet you. My name is Yugi Mutou."  
  
The girl's eyes went wide. "Yugi Mutou? The champion of the Duelist Kingdom? Wow, it's so great to meet you!"  
  
Then she blushed. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Shemeeka Tsumachiro. I just got a little excited. I-I've read so much about you, and I'm a duelist too, you see."  
  
"You're a duelist? Cool! Maybe you can come over my house and duel sometime!" Yugi exclaimed. "Um, if you're not busy, maybe you could come over right now. My, uh, brother and Seto are leaving, and Grandpa isn't home, so."  
  
"Seto?" Shemeeka said, confused. But when Yugi pointed across the street, realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Seto Kaiba?! You're on a first-name basis with THE Seto Kaiba?! Wow!"  
  
Yugi blushed. "Well, you know.Seto and Yami are best friends, so he's always around. We're okay friends, but Yami knows him the best of anybody. They're both seventeen, but when they're together, they act like they're both five. Come on, let's go over and say hello, okay?"  
  
"Sure!" Shemeeka said enthusiastically. It was nice to have a friend like Yugi.  
  
Yami and Seto were still goofing around when Yugi and Shemeeka crossed the street. "Yami, Seto, this is Shemeeka. She just moved across the street," Yugi introduced.  
  
"Hello," Shemeeka said politely, offering her hand to both of them.  
  
Yami and Seto each took a turn shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you," Yami said genially.  
  
"A pleasure," Seto agreed. "A friend of Yugi's is a friend of ours."  
  
"Do you really have all three Blue Eyes White Dragons?" Shemeeka asked. Then, realizing what she'd just said, she blushed. "I'm sorry, that's a stupid question."  
  
"No, it's not," Seto replied. "In fact, it happens all the time. Yes, I do have all three Blue Eyes. But they're at home, not here. I didn't bring my deck today."  
  
"Liar," Yami snickered. "You've got it in that fancy-schmancy trench coat of yours, O Master Duelist. I know you as well as you know yourself, and I know for a fact you never go anywhere without that deck. It's not nice to lie, Seto."  
  
"Remind me to never bring you to my staff meetings," Seto groaned, pulling out his deck. "With you pointing out all my lies, my company would go down the tubes."  
  
Just then, a brown-haired girl got out of the limo and walked over to them. "Seto, am I allowed out of the car now? Or am I sitting in there just to look pretty?"  
  
Seto grinned, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head affectionately. "You've already got the 'look pretty' part down, Jamie."  
  
"Flatterer," she replied, elbowing him.  
  
"And darn proud of it," Seto replied. "Jamie Light, this is Yami Mutou, Yugi Mutou, and Shemeeka."  
  
"Tsumachiro," Shemeeka offered. "Nice to meet you, Jamie."  
  
"Girl, it is SO great to have another girl around here!" Jamie exclaimed, smiling at Shemeeka. "I love your hair! Is that natural?"  
  
Shemeeka patted her ebony hair self-consciously, making the blonde highlights shine in the afternoon sun. "Yes, it is." She smiled at Jamie, already deciding that the brunette girl was a great friend. Her warm smile and kind words instantly put Shemeeka at ease.  
  
"That's awesome! I wish I had your hair. Mine is just drab and brown. Just like Seto's, actually, but his is so silky soft and so much fun to play with-"  
  
"Okay, Jamie, we get the idea about my hair," Seto interrupted, trying to hide a blush.  
  
"But your hair is so cute, Seto!" Jamie replied innocently.  
  
Yami groaned. "Dare I ask why she knows so much about your hair?"  
  
"Ask and die," Seto replied instantly.  
  
"We have GOT to go to the mall together sometime!" Jamie enthused. "That is, when you have some free time," she added after a moment.  
  
"Um.I have to help my parents settle in this afternoon, but I think I'm free tomorrow," Shemeeka said slowly. "I'm sorry, Yugi, but I can't accept your duel today."  
  
Shemeeka was truly disappointed. This was probably going to ruin everything! Here were these people, being so nice to her, and she turned them down the moment they suggested something fun to do together.  
  
But Yugi just smiled understandingly. "That's okay. Some other time, then. Are you going to Domino High School?"  
  
"Yes!" Shemeeka exclaimed, a sudden wave of relief washing over her. "I start tomorrow."  
  
"Cool! Then I'll see you there!" Yugi replied. "Sophomore, right?"  
  
Shemeeka nodded. "Yup. I'm sixteen."  
  
"Great! Then you'll be in our class! Oh, we have so much fun, I'm sure you'll fit right in."  
  
Jamie smiled. "And don't worry about the classes. They're really easy."  
  
"How old are you, Jamie?" Shemeeka asked, smiling at the slightly taller girl.  
  
"Fifteen," Jamie replied. "But I'm in the same grade. I got skipped up because of some stupid IQ test I took last year. They decided I couldn't be a freshman, so by default, I'm a sophomore." She sighed. "And consequently, I'm the youngest in the class."  
  
"Yet you're taller than all the other girls," Seto added, slipping an arm around her waist. "Don't worry, little girl, I wouldn't trade you for the world."  
  
"You better not," Jamie replied, winking. "Or I may just have to go out with Yami here."  
  
Yami, who had been in the process of eating a candy bar, immediately choked. "Excuse me?" he gasped out between coughs.  
  
"What?!" Jamie protested, throwing up her hands. "It's a compliment! I think you're cute! So sue me!"  
  
Seto purred. "I may just have to do that. No hitting on my best friend, Jamie."  
  
"As if," she replied with a groan.  
  
After a few more minutes of happy chatter, Shemeeka regretfully crossed the street and entered the house. "Wow," she said quietly, walking into her room and flopping down on the bed. She stared at the pale blue walls of her new room, thinking. These walls were like her new life here in Domino City. Blank, ready to be decorated and personalized to her liking. Soon they'd be filled with pictures and artwork, just as her new life was slowly filling with new friends.  
  
Seto and Yami were very nice, and obviously very loyal to each other. Jamie seemed like best-friend material: kind, caring, warm, and friendly. But Yugi.  
  
For some reason, Shemeeka was most intrigued by Yugi. Just what secrets lurked behind those gorgeous violet orbs? And while he was very open and polite, Shemeeka couldn't help but think there was some kind of mystery surrounding the little spike-haired boy.  
  
She got up and looked out the window at the Game Shop, seeing Yugi, Yami, Seto, and Jamie enter the building. "He's really cute," she murmured.  
  
Shemeeka walked over to her backpack full of personal belongings she'd insisted on taking with her in the minivan. Inside, among other things, were a sketchbook and an assortment of pencils. Sitting down cross-legged on the bed, she began to sketch Yugi's face from memory.  
  
The ebony-haired girl was a talented artist; soon Yugi's face had been reproduced on the paper. But try as she might, Shemeeka couldn't seem to get Yugi's eyes right. One time they were too narrow, the next, too wide. Even if she got the shape perfect, she couldn't seem to make the eyes on the page worthy of Yugi's face. "No, no, no!" she said, frustrated. Why couldn't she draw them correctly?  
  
Sighing, Shemeeka laid back on the bed, clutching her sketchbook close to her heart. "I've never felt like this before.this is more than a crush, I know it! Is.is this what love feels like?"  
  
And then, tired, Shemeeka closed her eyes and shut out the rest of the world, daydreaming about the handsome violet-eyed boy.  
  
"Yugi."  
  
Meanwhile, at the Game Shop, Yugi was trying not to stare out the window in the direction of Shemeeka's house.  
  
"Yugi!"  
  
"Huh?" he said, turning around. "Yami, you startled me!"  
  
"Strange, considering I've been saying your name for the past thirty seconds," Yami grumbled. "Look, could you be ANY more obvious?"  
  
"What are you talking about, Yami?"  
  
"Aibou, come on. If you stare any harder at Shemeeka's house, you're going to burn a hole through the wall. Take a break; run down to the store and get a Slurpee or something," Yami suggested, pulling out his deck.  
  
Then he turned to Seto. "All right, Blue-Eyes. You're going down."  
  
"It's not nice to lie," Seto shot back, mimicking Yami's earlier words. He moved easily to the other side of the counter, placing down his deck.  
  
Yami looked at him with an odd expression on his face. "Seto, it did it again."  
  
"What did it again?"  
  
"Y-Your coat.it's scary." Yami said in a fake pitiful voice.  
  
Seto groaned. "Yami, gosh darn it, my coat is not scary!"  
  
"Yes it is! There's no wind in here and it's still billowing! Your coat is possessed!"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Yami, think about it," Jamie put in. "Come on, he spent too much money on that trench coat for it NOT to billow."  
  
Yami laughed. "Seto, I believe I like your girlfriend."  
  
But when Seto gave him the evil eye, he quickly replied, "Not that way, you moron! Don't even suggest it! I already almost killed myself on that candy bar."  
  
"Fine. Just because you suffered, I forgive you. Maybe," Seto replied.  
  
Jamie shook her head, walking over to Yugi, who had resumed staring at Shemeeka's house. "Yugi, you like Shemeeka, don't you?"  
  
"Yes!" Yugi exclaimed a little too quickly. "I mean, she's a very nice person."  
  
Jamie cocked an eyebrow. "Mmm-hmm. I see. Anyway, tomorrow after school, why don't you take her out for a Slurpee or something? To help her feel at home here."  
  
Yugi blushed deep red. "I can't do that.she probably has other things to do, you know.unpacking and things like that."  
  
"Oh, come on, Yugi." Jamie rolled her eyes. "There's always time for a Slurpee."  
  
"She's got a point," Seto added from across the room. "Sometimes we'll be on the way to an important company function, and she'll make me pull over at the 7-11 because she wants a Slurpee. It's insanity, I tell you."  
  
"Seto?" Jamie said, falsely sweet.  
  
"Yes, snookums?"  
  
"First, you know I hate it when you call me snookums in public. Second, just for that remark, you're taking me out for a Slurpee on the way home."  
  
"I still don't understand why you won't just let me buy you a Slurpee machine, and then we won't have to stop at the 7-11 every time-" Seto protested.  
  
"A-HEM!" Yami interrupted. "It's your move, Seto! HELLO! Mind on the game?"  
  
"Ignore his crankiness," Jamie suggested. "He didn't get his recommended dose of coffee this morning."  
  
Yami, who found this hilariously funny for some reason, almost fell out of his chair. "Oh, man! Did he ever tell you about some of the things I've done to his coffee? Classic, I tell you! The look on his face was priceless!"  
  
"Unfortunately, I heard all about it," Jamie replied with a grin. "I've also been instructed never to accept an opened drink of any kind from you."  
  
"And for good reason," Seto added, laying down his Rude Kaiser. "Unless you like Kool-Aid in your coffee."  
  
"Out of curiosity," Yami said slyly. "What is it she has over you, that she can make you pull over at the 7-11 whenever she wants?"  
  
"Shut up. And by the way, it's your move."  
  
"Jamie? Can-Can I ask you something?" Yugi said quietly, finally breaking his gaze from the window.  
  
Jamie winked conspiratorially at Seto. "You two continue with your game," she whispered. "I'll be right back."  
  
She walked over to the window, taking a seat cross-legged on the plush cushion. "What's up, Yugi?"  
  
"Well, um, I don't really know how to say this, exactly." Yugi murmured, blushing deep crimson. "But, uh, I.I have this friend, and he asked me a question the other day that I really didn't know how to answer. I thought maybe you could help me?"  
  
Jamie smiled knowingly. "Sure, Yugi. I'd be happy to help your friend," she replied, emphasizing the last two words.  
  
"See, this friend of mine, he really likes this person. I mean, this girl. And he says he's not really sure how to tell her without having her laugh or anything, and he's afraid of being rejected. So, um, because you're a girl and all, I was wondering.how would you ask someone out?" Then, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, how did Seto ask you out?"  
  
Jamie smiled at the memory. "Well, I was sitting in the park crying because it was Sweetest Day and, coincidentally, the first anniversary of the day my boyfriend broke up with me. What a guy, huh? He actually dumped me for this shallow blonde with a reputation a mile long."  
  
Yugi looked aghast. "No!"  
  
"Yes," Jamie replied, giggling. "But he was a self-centered jerk. So anyway, I was sitting in the park when Seto came walking along. When he saw me sitting there, he stopped and offered me a handkerchief to wipe my eyes with. And he just said, softly, 'Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't have to cry.' Well, right then and there, I knew that he was the person I'd been searching for."  
  
"Wow." Yugi said, slightly awed. "He really said that?"  
  
"Well, things are different for everyone," Jamie elaborated. "I mean, I happen to be a romantic at heart, so just his words won me over. For some people, it's just a feeling you get inside whenever you're around someone you like. Other times, you really have to be persistent before you can make someone love you. It all depends on the person."  
  
"It does?"  
  
"Sure! But the important thing is to be yourself around them. I mean, for that one moment between Seto and I, he dropped his natural defenses and let me see a glimpse of the real Seto. And that's the person I care about, not the cold, indifferent duelist image he always portrays." Jamie smiled at him, instantly putting Yugi at ease.  
  
"I see your point," Yugi agreed. "I mean, what's the point of having someone love you if they're really just in love with someone you're pretending to be?"  
  
"Exactly. Besides, if the person really loves you, they won't care about any of your faults. They'll focus on the good, not the bad."  
  
Yugi looked deep in thought. "Hmm.thanks, Jamie. That's a lot to think about, you know?"  
  
Jamie winked at him. "Happy to help, Yugi. And say hi to your friend for me."  
  
And then she stood up and walked back over to Seto and Yami.  
  
Yugi stared out the window at Shemeeka's house once again. "Just be myself." he murmured. "But what if the person you like doesn't like you for who you are?"  
  
At this thought, his mind wandered to Tea. He sighed, shaking his head at the painful memory.  
  
All that time, he'd thought that Tea really liked him, was really interested in being his girlfriend. They'd gone on a few dates, sure, but he began to notice that Tea seemed slightly bored whenever they went out. The conversation topic was always either Yami or Duel Monsters, but usually Yami.  
  
After a while, Yugi began to realize that Tea didn't see him as anything more than a Yami substitute. If she couldn't have his dark other, she was trying to make up for it with Yugi.  
  
Once he figured this out, of course, he made it quite clear that he didn't want to see Tea any more. He was completely heartbroken, but also a bit resentful that Tea didn't consider him good enough for her.  
  
Yami, on the other hand, was just plain mad. He actually refused to speak to Tea, which was easy because he also refused to get within ten feet of her. By dumping Yugi, Tea had basically lost all chance of ever dating Yami as well.  
  
But all Yugi could say is that it was her own fault. Either she underestimated Yami's protectiveness of Yugi or she overestimated Yugi's forgiving nature. But either way, their friendship was definitely on the rocks.  
  
"But Shemeeka's not like that," he said firmly. "I just know it, she's not at all like Tea. She's.she's.she's just not like that."  
  
He sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes. Why did life have to be so darn confusing?  
  
~*~  
  
The next day at school, Shemeeka felt a little out of place. The school uniform felt uncomfortable and unnatural to her usually casual way of dressing. Back home, her school never had uniforms.  
  
"I guess things are different here," she said to herself, patting her hair self-consciously. She'd done it up in two pigtails for lack of anything more creative. "Well, come on, Shemeeka. They're not going to kill you. Just push open the door and-"  
  
"Hi, Shemeeka! You have English first hour, too? Great!"  
  
"Y-Yugi!" she exclaimed, whirling at the sound of the familiar voice. And then, there he was, his big violet eyes smiling at her.  
  
"Good morning!" Yugi exclaimed. "Have you found your way to all your classes yet?"  
  
Shemeeka laughed nervously. "No, I-I'm still pretty lost.it's really nice to see a familiar face."  
  
"Can I see your schedule?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Sure," Shemeeka replied, handing him the slip of paper.  
  
Yugi looked it over for a few moments before handing it back to her, his eyes lighting up. "Cool! We have the same schedule. If you want, I could show you where all the classrooms are."  
  
Shemeeka smiled with relief. "That would be great."  
  
Coincidentally, the only open seat in the classroom was next to Yugi's, so Shemeeka ended up sitting next to him. Of course, she had to go through the customary "My name is Shemeeka, I'm sixteen years old, I just moved here, and I have a cat named Teresa" introduction, but that was no problem.  
  
Class had been going for five minutes when Jamie Light flew through the door, her chestnut hair whipping behind her. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Andrews. Family emergency, it won't happen again," she said breathlessly, handing the teacher a note and hurrying to her seat.  
  
"Is everything all right, Jamie?" Ms. Andrews asked, a note of concern in her voice.  
  
"Oh, yes, ma'am. My uncle tripped coming up the stairs and twisted his ankle. But he'll be fine," Jamie replied.  
  
"That's good. You have a note, so I assume you checked in at the office?"  
  
"That's right, ma'am."  
  
Jamie smiled at the teacher once again before turning and whispering, "Hi, Shemeeka! How's your first day going?"  
  
"Fine, I guess," Shemeeka whispered back nervously. She didn't want to get into trouble on the first day of school.  
  
But Jamie apparently guessed her qualms. "Don't worry about Ms. Andrews. She's really easygoing and doesn't mind a little talking as long as you get all your work done."  
  
"Oh, that's a relief," Shemeeka said gratefully. "Thanks."  
  
Jamie smiled. "Don't mention it. So, do you have the same schedule as Yugi?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Cool! Then you're in all of my classes, too! That's so awesome!"  
  
Shemeeka looked around the room, feeling a hot flash of jealousy as she saw a brunette girl batting her blue eyes at Yugi, who seemed to be uncomfortable. "Who is that?" she asked, barely suppressed anger heavy in her tone.  
  
Jamie glanced over. "Her? The one who looks like she's got something in her eye and needs a backhoe to dig it out? That's Tea. She's got the hots for Yami, but since she couldn't have him, she went out with Yugi instead. Then at some point she dumped him, which ticked Yami off to no end. Now I assume she's trying to get back on Yugi's good side."  
  
Shemeeka scowled. "What a brat!"  
  
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. It's one of those 'you only want what you can't have' cases. I once saw her trying to hit on MY Seto, but he put an end to that pretty quick."  
  
"You and Seto really are close, aren't you?" Shemeeka said slowly.  
  
Jamie nodded. "Yes. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without him in my life. He's so special to me."  
  
Shemeeka sighed dejectedly. "Jamie, what would you do if-"  
  
But just then, the bell rang. "Class, no homework tonight. Have a great day!" Ms. Andrews called from the depths of her crossword puzzle.  
  
Shemeeka was bewildered; the whole hour seemed to have passed in a minute. But she gathered up her things and followed Jamie and Yugi to her next class.  
  
The morning absolutely flew by. Shemeeka met all her teachers and found them to be very nice, kind people, and picked up on what they were learning quickly. And then, suddenly, it was lunchtime.  
  
Jamie showed her where the lunch line was before taking her bag lunch over to Yugi and company's regular table. "Have you ever seen nuclear waste up close?" the brunette girl asked with a perfectly straight face.  
  
"No." Shemeeka replied uncertainly. "Why?"  
  
Jamie grinned. "Well, the general population of students has concluded that nuclear waste is the mystery ingredient in today's 'Meatloaf Surprise'."  
  
"Who am I if I don't take risks every once in a while, you know?" Shemeeka replied without missing a beat. She smiled knowingly at Jamie.  
  
Jamie shrugged playfully. "Hey, it's your funeral. Remind me to send roses after you die."  
  
Once she'd left, Shemeeka turned back to the lunch counter and picked up the most edible-looking foods: a carton of French fries, a hamburger, and a slightly soggy piece of cake. "Ick," she muttered, carefully avoiding the greenish plates of Meatloaf Surprise.  
  
On her way to the cash register, Shemeeka noticed a familiar shock of red, black, and gold hair. "Yugi!" she called, a happy smile blossoming on her face.  
  
Yugi turned around, his face lighting up as he saw the aqua-eyed girl. "Hey, Shemeeka. Do you want to sit with us today?"  
  
"Yeah," Shemeeka replied with relief. "Jamie already invited me."  
  
Yugi nodded. "Sounds like Jamie. She really likes you, you know." Just then, he made it to the front of the line and paused while he paid the cashier.  
  
What Yugi didn't know was that Shemeeka was carefully observing every detail. She smiled inwardly as she noted the way his hair bounced with the slightest movement of his head, the way his smile seemed to light up the whole room, the smooth, happy tone of his voice-  
  
"Oh!" Shemeeka exclaimed as she realized she was holding up the line. Quickly, she stepped forward and paid for her lunch. Then, picking up her tray, she followed Yugi over to a table in the back corner of the lunchroom.  
  
Jamie barely looked up from what she was doing as Shemeeka sat down next to her. Her turquoise eyes flickered up every so often, then back down to her paper.  
  
"What are you doing?" Shemeeka asked softly, not wanting to startle Jamie.  
  
The brunette finished whatever she was working on and turned to look at Shemeeka. "Just a casual drawing. Nothing special," she offered by way of reply.  
  
"Really?" Shemeeka asked, taking a bite out of her hamburger. "Of what?"  
  
Jamie smiled and nodded toward Seto, who sat directly across from her at the circular table. "My favorite subject."  
  
Yugi cleared his throat. "Ahem, guys? This is Shemeeka. She's new here. Are you too busy making food sculptures to introduce yourselves?"  
  
A blonde boy wearing a green coat looked up for a moment. "Hey, Yug', did you know it's possible to build an obelisk out of nothing but Meatloaf Surprise and ketchup?"  
  
Seto rolled his eyes. "You're still building monuments out of your lunch? How juvenile, chihuahua."  
  
"I'm not a chihuahua!"  
  
"And I'm not so sure about the juvenile bit either, Seto. I saw you mapping out a new Kaiba Land building in your mashed potatoes," Jamie teased.  
  
Seto just grinned. "Yes, snookums, but unlike Joey, I have the funds to actually build these things. So technically they're not monuments. They're models. That just happen to be made out of mashed potatoes. With French fries as structural beams."  
  
Yugi sighed. "Will you just introduce yourselves?"  
  
A silver-haired boy looked up and smiled kindly. "Hello, there. My name is Ryou Bakura. It's very nice to meet you, Shemeeka." His voice had the faint trace of a British accent.  
  
Shemeeka smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Ryou."  
  
The blonde looked up again, his eyes fixing on Shemeeka. "Whoa! We got a babe sitting at our table! So, uh, you busy Friday?"  
  
Shemeeka couldn't help but laugh. "Nope. Pick me up at a quarter past never."  
  
Jamie snickered. "Face it, Joey, she got you bad!"  
  
The blonde blushed. "Okay, fine. Since ya got me, I s'pose I can introduce myself. The name's Joey Wheeler. And this idiot next to me," he added, elbowing a brunette wearing a long brown trench coat, "is Tristan Taylor."  
  
"I'm not the idiot, idiot," Tristan shot back.  
  
"Let's take a vote," Seto suggested. "All in favor of Tristan being crowned king of idiots, raise a French fry."  
  
Immediately, everyone except Tristan raised a French fry high in the air. "Well, that works nicely," Seto continued. "Now, all in favor of Joey being crowned Dog of the Year, raise a nice big forkful of Meatloaf Surprise."  
  
Once again, everyone but Joey grabbed their forks, dug into Joey's lunch, and raised the utensil high in the air.  
  
"There. It's unanimous. Tristan is now the reigning idiot, and Joey is the reigning puppy. End of story." Seto grinned and took another bite of his lunch. "Court adjourned."  
  
Shemeeka glanced at Seto, then around the table. "Yugi, didn't you say Yami and Seto were the same age?"  
  
"Yes, that's right. Why?"  
  
"Well, Seto's here, but where's Yami? Doesn't he go to the same school as you?" Shemeeka looked confused.  
  
Yugi almost choked on his French fries. "Um.yeah! Yeah, he does. He's just late, that's all. He's always late to lunch, right, Seto?"  
  
Seto was about to correct him, but a pointed glare from Jamie made him reply, "Uh.right. Yami is just weird that way."  
  
"Here, I'll go get him, okay?" Yugi said quickly, standing up and heading out of the lunchroom.  
  
Shemeeka glanced at Jamie, who shrugged. "Just go with it. Like they said, Yami tends to do his own thing."  
  
A few minutes later, Yugi and Yami both entered the room and walked over to the table. Yami had an amused smirk on his face, and Yugi was blushing hard. "Hi, everyone," Yami said casually, reaching over and stealing a French fry from Seto's plate. "Sorry I'm so late. I was contemplating the miracle of drawing energy from coffee."  
  
"Coffee is a miracle in itself," Seto replied, a happy look coming over his normally cool face. "So perfect.it's like as soon as you drink it, the whole world falls into place."  
  
Jamie rolled her eyes. "I'm sending you both to Coffee-aholics Anonymous. Either you two are seriously obsessive, or Yami's been spiking your coffee with crack, Seto."  
  
Yami looked thoughtful. "Crack.that's one I haven't tried yet."  
  
Everyone at the table got a laugh out of that. Seto threw a French fry at Yami.  
  
They had just begun to talk again when Tea walked over. "Hi, guys," she said, her voice a little too perky. Then she flashed Yugi a winning smile. "Hi, Yugi!"  
  
"Hi, Tea." Yugi mumbled halfheartedly.  
  
Shemeeka could almost see the hate radiating off of Yami. He closed his violet eyes for a few moments before opening them again, carefully avoiding Tea's longing gaze. He snatched a fry off Seto's tray and began to munch, feigning indifference.  
  
"Um.hi, Yami." Tea continued, unaware of the danger she was putting herself in.  
  
"Tea, I don't think it's a very good idea for you to-" Ryou said, trying desperately to avoid the inevitable.  
  
But Tea wouldn't listen. "That's okay, Ryou," she interrupted. "I'm perfectly fine."  
  
Unlike Ryou and Yami, Jamie didn't even try to hide her anger. "What the heck do you want, Tea? Go back to Crystal and Angie and all your other cardboard-cutout friends. You've caused enough trouble already."  
  
"I just wanted to say hi," Tea replied. A large, false smile was pasted on her face, but her eyes were glaring daggers at Jamie.  
  
"Ya made your choice," Joey barked. "Leave Yugi and Yami alone."  
  
"Here's what I don't understand," Tea continued, ignoring Joey. "Kaiba was a jerk to all of us the whole time in Duelist Kingdom, yet you've forgiven him for all the things he did. But I, your FRIEND, make one little mistake and you all immediately hate me."  
  
"Don't you dare try and pull that stunt, Tea," Jamie growled. "You had your chance. You betrayed Yugi, the sweetest person on earth and someone who really loved you, trying to get Yami. How dare you call yourself our friend. I'm not one to be friends with lying, cheating snakes."  
  
Tea's face went bright red and she lunged at Jamie. "Take that back!" she screeched.  
  
Jamie was on her feet in an instant, quite ready to fight the brunette girl. But fast as Jamie was, Seto was faster. He leaped up, grabbing Tea's arms and holding her back. "If you touch a hair on her head, I'll take great pleasure in breaking your arms," he snarled. "You've got two choices: go back to your table of your own free will, or have Yami and me drag you back-in pieces."  
  
Tea's eyes went wide and she quickly pulled out of Seto's grasp. "Don't touch me," she said, trying desperately to sound in control. "I don't have the time to bother with you."  
  
For the first time, Yami looked up. His furious violet eyes pierced into Tea's blue ones, startling her with their ferocity. "You pushed your luck, Tea. Fortunately for your health, I do not plan to punish you this time. But if you ever come near my aibou or me again, I will not hesitate," he said in a low, feral voice.  
  
It was the first time Yami had spoken to Tea since she broke up with Yugi, and the brunette looked horrified at Yami's harsh words.  
  
"I don't have to stand here and take this," Tea replied, turning on her heel and quickly walking away, shoulders trembling.  
  
Jamie couldn't resist the chance to throw in one last comment. "That's right, Tea, run away like a coward. Good riddance!"  
  
Shemeeka looked a little confused and quite angry. "So that was Tea?"  
  
Jamie drew a deep breath before sitting down again, still tense. "Yup. Thank goodness she's gone; the intelligence level of this table just shot up about forty points."  
  
Everyone except Yugi chuckled at this. Instead, Yugi just bit his lip and stared at his food, trying to hide his obvious pain at seeing Tea again.  
  
But Shemeeka was more perceptive than she seemed. "Yugi, it's okay. She's just a meaningless brat. She's not worth being sad over," she murmured.  
  
Yugi looked up slightly, and it was then that Shemeeka saw the beginnings of tears in his violet eyes. "I know, but.I mean, for the longest time."  
  
Shemeeka smiled softly and patted his hand. "I'm sure you'll find the right person for you someday."  
  
"But when?" Yugi whispered, looking away again.  
  
Right now, Shemeeka thought suddenly, urgently. I'm right here, Yugi.it's me you're looking for! You and me-  
  
"I don't know," her lips said. "But you can't lose faith. And until then, you have your friends. You have us. You have me."  
  
Yugi glanced up, and violet met aqua. Shemeeka felt her breath catch in her throat. "Yugi?"  
  
"Yes, Shemeeka?" Yugi replied hopefully.  
  
"I-I was wondering.would you-"  
  
"Hey, guys, look, quick! The Leaning Tower of Pizza!" Tristan cried out abruptly.  
  
The moment ruined, Shemeeka, Yugi, and the others all turned to look at the two-foot-tall, fry-enforced stack of pepperoni pizza. Grease dripped off the sides and onto Tristan's platter, but he and Joey were obviously proud of their accomplishment.  
  
Jamie smiled. "You guys are so weird. You know that, right?"  
  
"And proud of it!" Joey replied instantly.  
  
Seto winked at Jamie, gesturing to Joey. "Aw, the little puppy is sucking up to Jamie! How cute!"  
  
"Someone get the camera!" Yami added, catching on to Seto's game.  
  
Joey looked like he was about to say something in reply, but instead looked down and blushed slightly. "Aw, come on, you guys."  
  
Jamie grinned mischievously. "Well, we've made Joey blush already."  
  
Seto watched her suspiciously. "I don't know what you're planning, lady, but you'd better watch yourself. I may decide to break up with you."  
  
"No, you wouldn't. You love me too much," Jamie replied easily. "Now then, you've already made Joey blush; now I think it's your turn."  
  
Yami cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's even possible. Seto doesn't blush."  
  
"Oh, yes he does," Jamie said, a knowing smile on her face. "You just have to know how to do it, that's all."  
  
Seto struggled to look annoyed. "You wouldn't dare."  
  
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Jamie replied sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. Then, quickly, she leaned over the table and kissed the very tip of his nose.  
  
As soon as she pulled back, it was plain to see the crimson blush that stained Seto's cheeks. "You know, I really hate it when you do that," he grumbled, pulling up his trench coat's collar to hide his face.  
  
But it was too late; everyone had already observed this turn of events. "Seto, I repeat; what in the HECK does she have over you?" Yami demanded. "She can make you go to the 7-11 anytime she wants, she can make you blush at the drop of the hat-is there anything she CAN'T make you do?!"  
  
"Yes," Seto replied decisively. "No matter how hard she tries to persuade me, I won't exchange my trench coat for a leather jacket. Isn't that right, Jamie?"  
  
"It's not like you'd have to do it all the time," she pouted. "Just every once in a while. You know, for a little variety."  
  
Giggling, Shemeeka turned back to Yugi. "Are lunch conversations always this exciting?"  
  
Yugi grinned. "Yup. Between Joey and Tristan's Marvelous Monuments, Seto and Jamie teasing each other endlessly with Yami somehow in the middle of it all, and Ryou and me casually observing, lunch is always interesting."  
  
Shemeeka laughed again, but then grew serious. "Um, Yugi.like I was saying before, do you think, maybe, we could-"  
  
But just then, at the most inopportune time, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.  
  
Yugi frowned, gathering up the remains of his hamburger. "I'm sorry, Shemeeka. D-Do you want me to show you to your next class?"  
  
"Sure," Shemeeka replied sadly. "That'd be great."  
  
It seemed hopeless; would she ever be able to tell Yugi how she felt?  
  
~*~  
  
That day after school, Shemeeka, Yugi, Yami, Tristan, Joey, and Jamie all walked home together. Seto left in his limo, saying he needed to put in some serious hours at the office. Predictably, Jamie wouldn't let him go without a sweet goodbye kiss that left the rest of the group staring. But because everyone was staring at Jamie and Seto, no one noticed Shemeeka and Yugi blushing deep red.  
  
As they walked home, Yugi and Shemeeka somehow managed to walk a little behind the rest of the group, so close together they were almost touching shoulders.  
  
"So, how was your first day of school?" Yugi asked, for lack of anything better to say.  
  
"Oh, it was okay," Shemeeka replied, turning her aqua eyes up to the clouds. "It helped to have a few friends there."  
  
Yugi smiled. "Having friends always makes things easier," he agreed.  
  
They walked in silence a few minutes more before Shemeeka's eyes widened in recognition. "Yugi, look! That cloud looks like the Dark Magician Girl, see?"  
  
Yugi followed her pointing finger up to the sky and observed the cloud she was talking about. "Hey, you're right!" he said happily. "And that one next to it looks like the Dark Magician! He's my favorite Duel Monster."  
  
Shemeeka looked a little startled. "R-Really? My favorite is the Dark Magician Girl. That's really strange."  
  
Yami's ears immediately perked up and he turned around, walking backwards as he talked to them. "I heard the words Duel Monster mentioned, aibou! Wanna hear about how I beat Seto and his Blue Eyes White Dragons like four times?"  
  
"Yami, I've already heard that story twelve times, and I'm sure you can tell Shemeeka some other time." Yugi said pointedly, frustrated that Yami had ruined the moment.  
  
Apparently, some of these emotions managed to break through their soul link, and Yami immediately understood. "Never mind. It wasn't that interesting, anyway."  
  
Once he had returned to the group, Yugi and Shemeeka lagged back a bit. "Sorry about Yami," Yugi apologized hastily. "He's got kind of a one-track mind."  
  
"That's okay, it's no big deal," Shemeeka replied, a little too quickly. "Um.what are you doing when you get home?"  
  
Yugi's brow furrowed in thought. "Nothing, I don't think. Would you like to come over to my house, maybe have a duel or something?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
Yugi smiled. "Great."  
  
Tristan, Joey, and Ryou had already branched off for home, so only Yugi, Yami, Jamie, and Shemeeka entered the Game Shop.  
  
"I'll set up the dueling mat," Yugi suggested. "Jamie, do you and Shemeeka want to go get some snacks out of the kitchen? You know where they are."  
  
"Um, out of curiosity, wouldn't it be better if Yami went?" Shemeeka asked nervously. "I mean, I don't want to be traipsing around all through your house."  
  
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Trust me. You send Yami for snacks, and he'll bring back an empty plate with nothing but crumbs on it."  
  
Yami stuck out his tongue at her. "They're my snacks too, you know," he grumbled before heading for the stairs. "I'll be in our room, aibou."  
  
But what Yugi didn't know is that a pair of blue eyes was watching all this through the window. The moment everyone but Yugi had left the room, the owner of those eyes made her move.  
  
Yugi looked up as the bell on the Game Shop jingled. Slowly, the color drained from his face. "W-What are you doing here?" he demanded.  
  
Tea smiled maliciously. "You know what I want. Or more appropriately, WHO I want."  
  
"Yami doesn't love you, and he never will," Yugi replied angrily. "And if you're not going to buy something, then I suggest you leave."  
  
But the smirk never left Tea's face. "You can't run forever, Yugi. Sooner or later, I will get Yami. It's only a matter of time."  
  
"Get out," Yugi snarled. "Now."  
  
Tea opened her mouth to say something else, but then she heard light footsteps coming down the hallway. "Yugi, I-" Shemeeka's voice began.  
  
And then the brunette made her move. She reached over the table, grabbing Yugi's face and pulling him forward for a kiss just as Shemeeka entered the room.  
  
Her eyes went wide. "Y-Yugi?!"  
  
Tea finished her kiss and pulled back, licking her lips. Then she sauntered towards the door and pushed it open. "See you tomorrow, sweetheart," she said over her shoulder.  
  
And then she walked out.  
  
Yugi went deathly pale. "Shemeeka, I didn't-I mean, it's not what it looks like-"  
  
"How could you, Yugi?!" Shemeeka cried, crystal tears flowing rapidly down her cheeks. "How could you?!"  
  
But before he could reply, she bolted for the door and ran home, crying bitterly.  
  
As Yugi miserably watched her go, Jamie poked her head into the room. "What was that all about?" she wanted to know. "I thought I heard Shemeeka say- where's Shemeeka?"  
  
"She left," he replied quietly, a deep pang of sadness in his tone. "She's gone."  
  
"Why? I thought you two were going to have a duel!"  
  
Yugi stared at the ground, trying to hide his unhappiness at the recent turn of events. "While you all were in the kitchen, Tea came in the Game Shop," he whispered.  
  
There was a loud clatter as the tray of cookies dropped from Jamie's hands. "She what?" Jamie replied, her eyes wide. "Oh, Yugi, what happened?"  
  
Yugi's shoulders were shaking too hard for him to reply, but his fingers involuntarily rose to his lips, feeling the slight remaining warmth from when Tea had sloppily kissed him. "S-She-she-"  
  
Jamie noted this with more than a trace of shock. "Oh, no."  
  
"S-Shemeeka saw."  
  
"Oh, Yugi." Jamie said sadly, moving forward and hugging him supportively. "I'm sorry."  
  
And then Yugi began to cry, the droplets falling on Jamie's shoulder and creating a damp spot in the fabric. "T-This afternoon.I-I was g-going to ask her.ask her to be.to be my.my." he choked out.  
  
Jamie didn't know what else to do, so she just hugged him tightly and let him cry in her arms. "I know, Yugi, I know. It'll work out, I promise."  
  
But in her heart, Jamie knew better. Tea had already caused so much trouble for Yugi-how could it work out?  
  
Would things ever get better?  
  
~*~  
  
Okay, go ahead and say it. I'm cruel. I made it seem like Shemeeka and Yugi were going to hook up, shattered all their hopes of ever being together, and now left you with a cliffhanger! That's the Halloween spirit!  
  
Yami: Freak. Halloween isn't until tomorrow.  
  
Seto: And knowing you, you've got something sneaky planned.  
  
Me: whistles innocently Maybe.  
  
Yami: Can we go trick-or-treating?  
  
Me: Maybe.  
  
Seto: Is that all you're going to say?  
  
Me: Maybe. snicker  
  
Yami: She's in a weird mood.  
  
Seto: Freak.  
  
Me: The freaks come out on Halloween, you know.  
  
Yami: We'll have a ball, then.  
  
That's Part One of As the Fog Clears! I hope you all enjoyed it. Joey the Flame Swordsman and Flamina, the angel minion of fire, are going to annihilate all nasty, criticizing reviews. They're going to use flames to light up my jack-o-lanterns. And nice reviews are going to be treasured forever, so PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: NO! FOR ONCE, I REFUSE TO SAY THIS IDIOT DISCLAIMER!  
  
Yami: If you don't, you'll get sued.  
  
Me: If you're so concerned, you two say the disclaimer.  
  
Seto: Nice going, Yami. glare  
  
Me: Just do it already.  
  
Yami: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to Macavity, thank goodness.  
  
Seto: But the storyline, the character Jamie Light, and any other interesting perks are all hers.  
  
Author's Notes: Some people had a question for me about why, if they were wearing their school uniforms, Joey, Seto, and Tristan were all wearing their coats. I'm very sorry if that confused some people. See, I based their school and the teachers on my own school. We're forced to wear uniforms too, but in the fall and winter we're allowed to wear jackets or coats over it. This story takes place in September and October, so I decided to let those three guys wear their jackets. I'm sorry for not explaining this in the first chapter; I forget sometimes that not all schools operate the way mine does.  
  
Special Dedication: As in the first chapter, this is dedicated to my good friend (and little sister; don't ask) FOG, as both a birthday present and a thank-you for writing me a fic! (If you want to read it, it's called Haunted with Desire. Very good fic! I recommend you all go check it out.)  
  
All that said, Macavity and Dragon Enterprises present As the Fog Clears, chapter two!  
  
~*~*~  
  
Days passed, then weeks. Shemeeka wouldn't talk to anyone except Jamie. She was uncharacteristically silent in class, and never ate much for lunch. She ate outdoors whenever she could, and in a corner of the lunchroom when it was too cold or rainy.  
  
It had gotten to a point where everyone at the usual table was worried. Over lunch one cloudy morning, they happened to be discussing Shemeeka's behavior. Jamie had kept quiet about the incident, not wanting to hurt Yugi more than he had already. Yugi, on the other hand, didn't seem to be in the mood to talk about it, anyway. However, today the others' curiosity won out.  
  
"So what exactly did she do?" Seto asked concernedly, munching on a French fry.  
  
Jamie looked furious. "She walked in and kissed Yugi, right when poor Shemeeka could see."  
  
"What a-" Joey exclaimed, but Ryou managed to clap his hand over the blonde's mouth before any "colorful" terms emerged.  
  
"I wish I'd Mind Crushed her when I had the chance," Yami muttered, resting his chin on one propped-up hand. He absently hugged Yugi, who welcomed the small bit of comfort. "It's okay, aibou, everything will work out."  
  
"That's not the problem," Yugi whispered. "I can't even talk to her. She won't listen to me. How can I explain that I didn't mean to hurt her when she won't even acknowledge that I'm talking to her?"  
  
Jamie frowned. "She's still not talking to you? It's been a month now! I mean, I've been depressed before, but never for this long!"  
  
"Somehow, I don't think it's just Yugi," Ryou said softly.  
  
All eyes turned to the brown-eyed boy. "What makes you say that?" Seto wanted to know.  
  
"Well.I'm not positive about this, but it seems like something else is bothering Shemeeka. She always seems a little bit distant, jumpy; she wouldn't be that broken up just over Yugi," Ryou explained.  
  
"Are you sure? From what I know, she was pretty head-over-heels for him," Jamie replied.  
  
Yugi bit his lip. "Why do I feel like this is all my fault?"  
  
"No, aibou," Yami said firmly. "Don't even start thinking that way. There is no way that this is your fault. It's that lousy brat Tea's."  
  
"He's right, Yugi," Tristan agreed.  
  
Jamie closed her eyes for a moment. "Look. I'll talk to her after school, okay? Maybe that way I can get some answers."  
  
"I wish I could go with you, but we're going out to pick up a new card shipment," Yugi sighed. "I only wish there was some way I could tell her-"  
  
Just then, the bell rang. Everyone stood up and walked off with their trays except Seto and Jamie, who remained seated.  
  
The brunette girl looked down. "I guess we'd better go to class," she said softly. "I'm so worried about Shemeeka, Seto."  
  
Gently, Seto reached across the table and slipped his hand under her chin, raising her head to stare into her turquoise eyes. "That's just like you, sweetheart-always caring about your friends," he murmured.  
  
"Everything is so confusing now," she replied, biting her lip. "It seemed like Yugi and Shemeeka were perfect for each other. She was just what he needed after that breakup with Tea. But now.what do I do, Seto? What can I do?"  
  
Seto rose, stepping around the table and hugging her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I don't know, Jamie.I don't think anyone knows but Yugi and Shemeeka. And no one can fix things except them."  
  
She smiled sadly at him. "It's so hard to see them acting this way, when I know they both love each other so much."  
  
"Just like you and me," Seto added softly.  
  
Drawing a deep, shaky breath, Jamie rose and picked up her tray. "Come on," she said finally. "We'd better get to class."  
  
For Jamie, the last three hours of the day were torture. It wasn't that the classes were boring; she was just in such a hurry to get out and talk to Shemeeka that her patience was being tried.  
  
At long last, the bell rang and kids began flooding out the door. "Hey, Shemeeka! Wait up!" Jamie cried, hefting her backpack on one shoulder and racing after the ebony-haired girl.  
  
Shemeeka turned around. "Oh, hi, Jamie. What do you need?"  
  
"Um.do you want to do something after school? Maybe go down to the 7-11 or something?" Jamie asked hopefully.  
  
Shemeeka thought a moment. "N-No, I can't go out.but maybe you could come over to my house." she said slowly.  
  
Jamie flashed her a bright smile. "Great!" she exclaimed, trying to sound perky and upbeat. "Let's go, then!"  
  
So they did.  
  
Shemeeka expertly avoided looking over at the Game Shop as they neared her house. Instead of mirroring Jamie's longing glance, she simply turned on her heel and walked up to the front door, pulling out her keys and slipping them into the slot.  
  
As they stepped inside, Jamie was surprised to see the hallway, perfectly arranged and organized. Not a single floral-print picture was crooked, nor was any of the doors even slightly ajar. The cream-colored carpet was completely untarnished.  
  
Shemeeka removed her shoes and coat and set them in the front hall closet before stepping on the carpet. Jamie did the same with her shoes, preferring to keep her coat with her.  
  
Upstairs yielded Shemeeka's room, once again behind a closed walnut door. It was painted a pale blue shade with white trim and white curtains. The bed was in one corner, blanketed with a pristine white comforter.  
  
A row of bookshelves lined one of the walls, and one whole case was devoted to small collections of trinkets, art portfolios, and other supplies. The others held quite a few leather-bound books.  
  
Other than a desk and a full-length mirror, the room was empty. A small gray tabby cat was sleeping on Shemeeka's bed, curled up in a little ball in the fluffy comforter.  
  
Jamie couldn't help but sigh at the sheer perfection of the room. It was like the room had been taken right out of a dollhouse and placed there. "I love your room," she breathed.  
  
Shemeeka smiled. "Yeah, this is pretty much my own little sanctuary. I have a desk, but it's in the basement right now. We just haven't brought it up yet."  
  
A hanging string caught the brunette's eye. "What's that? A way into the attic?"  
  
"Yup, I discovered it the day Mom and Dad were checking out the house. I figured if I ever needed a hideaway, I'd go there," Shemeeka explained.  
  
"Cool." Jamie walked to the middle of the room, slowly turning in place and taking it all in. "You collect figurines?"  
  
Shemeeka nodded. "Yup. I have been since I was nine."  
  
Jamie whistled. "Long time."  
  
Her brow furrowed as she noted a bronze-colored chain lock on the back of the door. "You think you're going to ever need that chain lock?"  
  
"I.uh.wanted a different lock, but that was the best I could do. We're not exactly the most tool-handy family." Shemeeka was hiding something; Jamie knew it instantly.  
  
However, she decided not to press the issue. "Oh, right. I know what that's like."  
  
For the next hour or so, Jamie and Shemeeka listened to music, talked about school, and related a few personal hopes and dreams. Shemeeka seemed especially interested in hearing about Jamie's parents. Even after the brunette explained how they had died in a car accident a year or so back, Shemeeka still wanted to know more.  
  
Jamie shrugged. "My grandmother used to say we looked like the ideal family: a loving father, a doting mother, and a little perfectly-behaved daughter."  
  
For some reason, Shemeeka sighed at this. "I wonder if there's such a thing as the perfect family," she mused, deep in thought.  
  
"I think all that matters is that you all love each other," Jamie put in carefully. "It doesn't matter if you live with your uncle, like me; your grandpa, like Yugi; your siblings, like Seto; or your parents, like you. Everyone has their own perfect family in their own way."  
  
Shemeeka looked strangely sad. "Yeah, I guess."  
  
"So what's your family like?" Jamie wanted to know, smiling as the little gray tabby cat rose from its nest on the bed and padded into her lap. She giggled softly, stroking the little feline.  
  
"They're okay, I guess," Shemeeka said halfheartedly. "Nothing really special."  
  
Jamie sensed the conversation was becoming too personal for Shemeeka, so she quickly changed the topic. "So. Tell me all about your old school. I want to know everything."  
  
Shemeeka laughed at Jamie's eagerness. "Okay, fine. All my teachers were the same as usual. My wretched science teacher gave us tests every Friday, and they were always about these really nasty, obscure topics that no teenager in their right mind would ever care about."  
  
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Ooh, you're going to hate Mr. Roberts, then."  
  
"Oh, no! Not another teacher obsessed with tests!" Shemeeka groaned.  
  
Jamie nodded. "Exactly. Okay, what else? Ever had a boyfriend?"  
  
"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" Shemeeka teased.  
  
The brunette grinned. "Who knows? I try not to pay attention in history."  
  
"Really? It's my favorite subject."  
  
"Well, yeah, I know that. I mean, I love it too and everything, but the trouble is they make it so boring! I could recite the Preamble if I wanted to, but just because I like the subject doesn't mean I like the way they teach it."  
  
"Don't tell me: worksheets, right?"  
  
"It's horrible! Busy work every day!" Jamie moaned, perfectly playing the part of a damsel in distress.  
  
"I can see someone also likes drama as much as history."  
  
"Yup. Drama queen, that's me. Starring role in the school play two years running."  
  
"Cool! You'd best watch out though, Jamie Light; I'm not such a bad actress myself," Shemeeka teased.  
  
"We'll see about that," Jamie replied with a smirk not unlike Seto's.  
  
Apparently, Shemeeka noticed. "You and Seto are so much alike."  
  
A dreamy look came over Jamie's face. "Yes.it's strange sometimes, it's almost like he knows exactly what I'm thinking at the same moment I do."  
  
"Must be nice," Shemeeka murmured.  
  
Jamie cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm? Little girl unlucky in love?"  
  
Shemeeka sighed. "You got me. I had a boyfriend at my old school, Aaron Anders. He was a nice enough guy, I guess, but after a while things started to get rocky. I started noticing him watching other girls when we went out, ignoring me when other people were around.after I caught him kissing my best friend I made it clear that we were over."  
  
Jamie's mouth dropped open. "I don't know who to be more angry with; your boyfriend for doing that to you, or your best friend for doing that to you! What a creep! What a jerk! Man, if I had only been there!"  
  
Shemeeka smiled, slightly ruefully. "Well, I moved. And now I have a new best friend." At this, she smiled broadly at Jamie, who grinned.  
  
"And don't worry about that happening again; I'm quite happy with my little Seto."  
  
"Little?! He's like six inches taller than you!"  
  
"Oh, hush. You know what I mean."  
  
"Ah. The return of sweet little pet names."  
  
"If he ever calls me snookums in public again, I'm going to do something drastic. Really drastic."  
  
Shemeeka was intrigued. "And what kind of drastic are we talking about, exactly? I mean, what can you do to a multi-billionaire?"  
  
"Well.I could dye all his trench coats pink.I could exchange his blue silk sheets for Barney ones.I could braid his hair."  
  
For some reason, Shemeeka found this hysterically funny. "Braid his hair?! Oh, man, would I give money to see that!"  
  
"I once drew a picture of him with his hair like that," Jamie recalled, the corners of her mouth twitching in a barely suppressed smile. "He tried to tear it up. I convinced him to get it framed and now it's hanging on a wall in his house."  
  
"Really? I thought he hated it!"  
  
"Well, yeah. I said it was hanging on a wall-a wall that happens to be the back of his closet. In the dark. Where no one can see it."  
  
Shemeeka seemed to be in a better mood, so Jamie decided to take a risk. "Do you want a boyfriend here?"  
  
Shemeeka bit her lip. "I.I wanted someone in my life.but I'm not so sure anymore. It seems like everyone is already happy."  
  
"Yugi's not," Jamie almost blurted. Then, eyes widening, she clapped her hands over her mouth. "I mean-"  
  
"No, no, it's okay," Shemeeka murmured. "If it wasn't for Tea.well, if she wasn't in the middle of it all, Yugi would be my first choice for a boyfriend. But he's already got someone in his life, so what's the use?"  
  
Jamie was silent for a minute, not knowing quite what to say. "Maybe." she offered finally. "Maybe not."  
  
"I don't know what it is about him, but." Shemeeka trailed off sadly.  
  
But then she brightened. "Oh, well. Would you like a snack or something?"  
  
Jamie shrugged. "It's up to you. I'm always up for a treat in the afternoon."  
  
They headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, once again talking about trivial, unimportant things. Jamie made sure to keep the conversation light and well away from the topic of Yugi.  
  
But when they pushed open the door, Shemeeka and Jamie found Shemeeka's father, who had just gotten home. His keys were still in his hand, and he looked slightly cross.  
  
Shemeeka seemed a little nervous. "O-Oh, hi, Daddy.I wasn't expecting you home so soon."  
  
Her father's eyes moved from Shemeeka to Jamie, looking the brunette girl over. "Who is this?" he demanded, his voice harsh and cold.  
  
"My friend, Jamie," Shemeeka explained. "From school."  
  
Shemeeka's father walked forward, stopping when he was only inches away from Jamie. The girl shuddered; he was at least six inches taller than her, and Jamie was 5'9". She took a few steps backward, uncomfortable with having him so close.  
  
But Shemeeka's father just advanced again, backing Jamie up against the wall. He bent down to look her over, and Jamie caught the smell of beer on his breath.  
  
Nervously, she slid across the wall and backed into the center of the room. "Um, Shemeeka.I'd better be getting home." she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling.  
  
Shemeeka nodded, her eyes wide. "You know where your shoes are, right?"  
  
Shemeeka's father glared at Jamie, then turned his gaze to Shemeeka. "Did I say you could have a friend over today?" he asked, his voice threatening.  
  
"N-No, Daddy, but I didn't think-"  
  
"No, you didn't think, did you?" he barked.  
  
Uneasy, Jamie left the kitchen and opened the front hall closet, removing her shoes and slipping them on her feet. She had just tied the laces when bits of conversation began to waft down the hall.  
  
"What.think you're.little wretch!"  
  
"Daddy, I.you and Mom.home until eight."  
  
"You know the rules.your mouth, young lady.I said shut up!"  
  
"Daddy.drunk, don't do.you'll regret."  
  
"Shut your mouth! I'll do.I please, hear? Don't.what to do!"  
  
Jamie's hand was on the doorknob when she heard it. A horrible, terrible sound that brought back nightmares she'd had even as a little girl.  
  
She'd heard it before; running home one day, escaping from a brutal fistfight at school.a fistfight between two of her best friends.  
  
It was the bruising sound of a fist hitting a face.  
  
She didn't think; she just ran back down the hall and threw open the door, her first instinct to come to the rescue of her friend.  
  
But what she saw horrified her. Shemeeka's father, in a drunken fit of rage, was looming over the ebony-haired girl. Already one eye was becoming black and swollen on Shemeeka's pretty face. Silent tears ran down her cheeks as she held her hands feebly over her head, trying to ward off her father's assault.  
  
"Leave her alone!" The words had escaped Jamie's mouth before she realized the consequences of saying them.  
  
On the good side, Shemeeka's father turned away from his trembling daughter. But now, he began to advance on Jamie, who stood petrified in the doorway.  
  
For a brief instant, Shemeeka's eyes met Jamie's, and the brunette could plainly see the fear and terror swirling in her aqua orbs. Her lips moved, mouthing "Run!"  
  
But while this was happening, Shemeeka's father had gotten even closer to Jamie. Once again he was towering over her, making Jamie feel tiny and insignificant.  
  
"GO!" Shemeeka cried out.  
  
And then the sheer terror of the situation overtook Jamie's mind. And she bolted.  
  
She raced out the door as fast as she could, long brown ponytail streaming behind her, too afraid to look back and see if Mr. Tsumachiro was following her. She tore across the street and banged on the door of the Game Shop, pleading for someone to be there.  
  
But then she remembered that Yugi, Yami, and their grandpa were going out after school.  
  
Jamie whirled and ran down the sidewalk, dimly noticing that a large, shadowy figure was just coming out of the front door of Shemeeka's house.  
  
Fortunately for her, Mr. Tsumachiro was obviously drunk and having trouble keeping his balance. It was no contest between a young terrified athlete and a middle-aged drunken man. She was down the street almost before he made it to the sidewalk.  
  
Grumbling, he let her go and stalked back into the house. But when he reached the kitchen, he found that Shemeeka was gone. He checked all the rooms in the house, yet she was nowhere to be found.  
  
Meanwhile, Jamie was still running, running as fast as she could towards the one place in Domino City where she knew she would be safe. But nature seemed to be against her; the gray skies looked like they were about to rain, to mirror her emotions.  
  
Yet still she ran, using the adrenaline rush to keep her going long after she ordinarily would have collapsed. As it was, she reached the Kaiba mansion in about ten minutes.  
  
Jamie was forced to pause for a minute at the wrought-iron gates, but her name and personal entrance code quickly gave her access to the grounds. She bolted for the door, which Seto himself had opened.  
  
He was standing there, chestnut hair blowing slightly in the wind, when Jamie ran up to him. "Jamie, what-"  
  
But he cut off as Jamie threw herself into his arms, shivering cold and crying bitterly. Frowning, he brought her inside and into the living room, instantly protective of his pretty little girlfriend.  
  
He guided her to the couch, bundling her up in several heavy blankets in an attempt to keep her warm. "Jamie, sweetheart, are you okay?"  
  
Sobbing, she shook her head. Her hands were trembling as she clutched the blankets more tightly to her chest, unable to choke out a single word through her tears.  
  
"What's going on, Jamie? What happened?" Seto asked, his voice clearly laced with concern. He cupped her face in his hands protectively, staring into her wet turquoise eyes with his own sapphire ones.  
  
"I-It was t-terrible!" Jamie stammered, her shoulders shaking. "Seto, I-I was so scared."  
  
"It's all right now, Jamie, you're safe. Nothing is going to hurt you," Seto soothed. "Take a deep breath and tell me the whole thing, okay?"  
  
Choking back a sob, Jamie nodded. "I-I went over to Shemeeka's house after school today.wanted to try and convince her that Yugi still loved her.but then.then it happened."  
  
Seto gathered her into his arms and hugged her supportively. "It's okay, sweetheart, just tell me the whole thing."  
  
"H-Her father came home.I could smell beer on his breath." Jamie recalled. "He got mad at Shemeeka b-because I was over. And he.he.oh, Seto, I can't-"  
  
"We can't help Shemeeka unless I know what you saw," Seto murmured, gently kissing her forehead. "What did he do, Jamie?"  
  
But Jamie just shook her head as fresh tears brimmed in her eyes. Trembling, she reached out and gently touched one of the scars on Seto's arms; scars left by his foster father.  
  
Seto's voice became deathly serious. "Does he hit Shemeeka, Jamie?"  
  
Slowly, torturously slowly, Jamie nodded.  
  
"Did you see him do it?" Seto asked instantly.  
  
Jamie bit her lip and shook her head. "N-No.but I know the sound of a fist hitting a face, Seto. And when I ran back, her face was all red.I think she'll have a black eye tomorrow.he chased me down the street.so I ran to you."  
  
The brunette boy seemed to slump in his seat, his eyes losing all their determination. "If you didn't actually see him do it, it's going to make things much harder, Jamie. Child abuse is a serious accusation. However."  
  
"We can't just leave her there!" Jamie exclaimed. "I can't just sit back and watch my friend get hurt!"  
  
Seto placed a finger over her lips, a strange smile on his face. "Legally, we can't do much of anything. However.morally, we have every right to help, hmm?"  
  
And then Jamie began to smile through her tears. "I guess.but what are we going to do?"  
  
"Who else have you told about this?" Seto wanted to know.  
  
Jamie shook her head. "No one. You were the first person I could get to. Yugi and Yami weren't home, or I would have gone to the Game Shop."  
  
"Well, the first thing to do is to get in touch with Yami. I need to talk to him about this. Then, without a doubt, the next step will be to get Shemeeka out of that house."  
  
"They might be home by now," Jamie whispered. "We could call."  
  
"Sweetheart, I know how worried you are about Shemeeka. But you're exhausted. Close your eyes, go to sleep; I'll take care of everything that needs to be done, okay?" Seto said tenderly, resting his fingertips on her eyelids and gently closing them.  
  
Jamie didn't resist. "I wish you'd let me help."  
  
"Shhh. Go to sleep, Jamie. I promise you, everything is going to be fine."  
  
But as Seto sat there, cradling Jamie in his arms as she drifted off to sleep, he wasn't so sure. Would everything be fine? Could it be?  
  
He didn't know the answers. But hopefully, he could help protect an innocent little girl from a terror he himself had suffered many years before.  
  
Once Jamie was asleep, Seto rose and stalked into his office, snatching up the phone and speed-dialing the Game Shop.  
  
Yami answered on the second ring. "Hello, Game Shop. How may I-"  
  
"Yami, it's me," Seto interrupted.  
  
"Seto? Where are you, what do you need, and why are you calling me in the middle of the day when you should be at work?" Yami demanded.  
  
"Which shall I answer first?" Seto deadpanned. "I'm at my house, and I'm not at work because I didn't feel like going, you idiot. Weren't you the one always bothering me about working too hard?"  
  
"Come on, Seto. I know something's wrong. What is it?" Yami countered.  
  
"Jamie just showed up on my doorstep, crying," Seto explained. "She-"  
  
"Who did it and where can I find them?!" This time, it was Yami's turn to interrupt.  
  
"Being overprotective of my girlfriend, Yami? Yeesh. No, no one hurt her- directly," Seto continued. "She was over at Shemeeka's house today. She thinks Mr. Tsumachiro hits Shemeeka, but she didn't see him do it. But you're quite aware that Jamie knows the sound of someone being beaten, and she has no reason to lie."  
  
Yami nodded. "Yes, I know that. But now the question is, what do we do about it?"  
  
"I want to get Shemeeka out of that house, Yami, and I want to do it now. But the problem is, I can't do it without breaking a couple laws."  
  
"Never stopped you before."  
  
"You know what I mean, you idiot. But I'm not just going to sit back and watch an innocent girl get abused in her own home."  
  
"So why are you calling me?"  
  
"Because I need a loophole to get Shemeeka out of there, and I know you've always got a few to spare."  
  
Yami thought a minute, his cunning mind working on a solution to his best friend's problem. "Got one. But it's going to involve a lot of booze, some empty bottles, and a few conveniently placed police cars."  
  
Seto caught on immediately. "If they get sent to jail, I'd have to take Shemeeka in, right?"  
  
"Bingo. You know, you have the mental capacity to think these things up yourself, but for some reason, you choose to waste it on machines. Tsk, tsk, tsk," Yami scolded.  
  
"So basically, you're saying you want me to stuff their car full of beer, get them horribly drunk, and then send them out onto a street of innocent pedestrians until the police arrive?"  
  
"Not quite. Knock them out, fill their car full of beer, ram the car through the front of their house, and call the police. Then, even if they don't get busted for all the beer, Shemeeka can still stay with you because her house is trashed," Yami explained.  
  
"Gee, while I'm at it, why don't I just put crack in their trunk?" Seto said sarcastically.  
  
Yami looked thoughtful. "That would be good, too.crack would be a very convincing thing.plus the child abuse charge, that could get him a good 20 years."  
  
"Great, but as far as I know, it's only her dad who's hurting her. What do I do about her mom?"  
  
"Convince her that that it would be better for Shemeeka to stay with you. Have Jamie do it. You know she can talk anyone into anything," Yami said with a sly smile.  
  
"Speaking as a personal victim, you're right. Anyway, thanks, Yami."  
  
"Not a problem, man. Call me whenever you need to. And tell me Jamie's phone number so I can ask her out-"  
  
"How about 1-800-YOU-WISH," Seto interrupted, barely suppressing a chuckle. "See you later, Yami."  
  
"Bye, Seto."  
  
Seto hung up the phone, a strangely amused smile on his face. Count on Yami to come up with an insane, demented, yet extremely plausible scheme. "It's almost scary, the ways his mind works," he mumbled.  
  
"What's so scary?"  
  
Seto looked up, startled, at the brunette standing in the doorway. "You're supposed to be asleep.bad dreams again?"  
  
"Worried about Shemeeka," Jamie explained. "What are you going to do?"  
  
"If I tell you, do you promise not to get involved?"  
  
"Why?" Jamie's eyes narrowed. "Why would you make me promise something like that?"  
  
Seto stepped forward, gently taking her in his arms. "Because I know how you feel about car accidents."  
  
Jamie's face went pale. "You can't be serious."  
  
"No one is going to get hurt. All we're going to do is send the car through the front of the house. After it crashes, we'll put Shemeeka's dad in the front seat with a case of beer next to him. The authorities will hold him until Shemeeka can tell them about how he hits her."  
  
"What about their house? And what if something unexpected happens and someone gets hurt? What are you going to do then?" Jamie demanded.  
  
"I can afford to fix the house later. I'll make sure no one gets hurt. I'm sorry, Jamie, but it's the only way I know of to get Shemeeka out of there," Seto said, slightly guilty.  
  
"Please, just let me talk to her before you do anything," Jamie almost begged. "Maybe there's another way. Just please, don't do that."  
  
"I know how hard it is for you," Seto whispered, stroking her hair tenderly.  
  
"I lost my parents because of a drunk driver, Seto. You know as well as I do what it feels like to lose someone you love," Jamie replied, her voice unsteady. "I won't let you take that risk now."  
  
"I never said that I'd be-"  
  
"Don't give me that, Seto," Jamie interrupted, her turquoise eyes hard. "You should know by now that you can't hide things from me. I know that you'd be the one driving that car."  
  
Seto nodded after a moment. "I wouldn't risk anyone else's life on that stunt."  
  
"But don't you see what it would do to me if you got hurt?" Jamie demanded, her eyes filling with tears. "My parents died in their car accident. I couldn't bear it if I lost you, too."  
  
Seto frowned, seeing how much just the idea of it was killing Jamie inside. "Jamie, I promise you, I won't use that idea. We'll think of another way to help Shemeeka, okay?"  
  
Jamie rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes gently. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"  
  
The blue-eyed boy smiled. "Yes, but say it again anyway. I love hearing it."  
  
She smiled, looking up to meet his gaze. "I love you, Seto Kaiba. Always."  
  
"And I you, Jamie Light. Forever."  
  
When the two finally parted from their embrace, Jamie immediately wanted to go find Shemeeka. "Who knows where she could be?" she explained. "And what that scum of a being that calls itself her father could have done to her while we've been gone?"  
  
Seto nodded. "Absolutely. We can take the limo. But before we do anything, we're stopping by the Game Shop, okay?"  
  
"Of course," Jamie replied.  
  
Given the limo's cruising speed, the two were at the Game Shop in under five minutes. This time, however, the doors were open and they could see Yugi busying himself at the counter.  
  
Yugi looked up as the bell jingled on the door, signaling Seto and Jamie's arrival. "Hey, guys. What's up?"  
  
"Yugi, we need your help," Jamie replied, her voice anxious.  
  
Yugi's brow furrowed. "Sure, guys. What's the problem?"  
  
"Jamie thinks Shemeeka's father beats her," Seto answered, not bothering to be tactful about it. "We have to get her out of that house."  
  
"What, you didn't like my idea?" another voice protested.  
  
All three looked up to see Yami, emerging from the kitchen. He was holding a cookie in each hand and had a generally satisfied look on his face. "I thought it wasn't half bad!"  
  
Seto cocked an eyebrow, nodding his head at Jamie. "I decided it was a bad idea," he said pointedly.  
  
Yami immediately got his drift. "Oh, right. Well, it was a stupid idea, anyway."  
  
"Look, Yugi, will you come with us? I want to go over and try to find her," Jamie interrupted. "I'm worried."  
  
Yugi nodded. "Of course."  
  
"Yami, you come with us, but stay on the sidewalk, as a lookout and also in case we need backup. Seto instructed. "The three of us will go in and get Shemeeka."  
  
"Roger," Yami replied, saluting.  
  
"Come on, then," Jamie said, a note of urgency creeping into her tone.  
  
They hurried across the street and paused on the sidewalk outside Shemeeka's house. "Well, the door's open," Yugi observed.  
  
"Good, then it's not breaking and entering," Yami said, unable to resist a joke. "It's just entering."  
  
Seto elbowed him, and Yami shut up. "Okay, Yugi, you go look around for Shemeeka," the brunette said, his blue eyes calculating. "Jamie and I are going to try to find some evidence that her father was beating her. Don't spend more than ten minutes in the house, and the moment you find her, get out."  
  
Yugi nodded. "Got it."  
  
Jamie unconsciously moved a little closer to Seto. "This whole thing makes me nervous.why would he just leave the door open?"  
  
Seto reached over and stroked her hair comfortingly. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I promised everything was going to work out. I won't let anyone get hurt, okay?"  
  
Jamie managed a weak smile. "I know, but."  
  
"Guys? I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but I think I saw a face at the upstairs window," Yami pointed out. "Black hair. I'd be willing to bet it was Shemeeka."  
  
"Okay," Seto said decisively. "Let's go."  
  
They carefully entered the building and fanned out; Yugi going up the stairs, and Seto and Jamie exploring the lower half of the house.  
  
Yugi moved up the stairs with the grace of a cat, stepping on the parts of the step closest to the wall to avoid unnecessary creaking. The soft thudding noises his sneakers made on the steps were the only sounds.  
  
Dimly, he registered his heart pounding in his chest. "Calm down," he whispered to himself, his lips barely uttering any sound. "Just find Shemeeka and get her out of here. That's all you have to do."  
  
He made his way to the top of the stairs and gently peeked in each of the doors upstairs. One was obviously a bathroom, and another was the master bedroom. The last door in the hall was slightly ajar, so Yugi decided he should probably check that one out first.  
  
It was unusual that the door was open; all the other doors in the hall were tightly closed. A single ray of light shone off something across the door, and Yugi had to squint to see what it was.  
  
A chain lock. That's why the door was ajar.  
  
"She must be in here," he murmured to himself. Fortunately, his hand was small enough that he was able to reach in and tug the chain, releasing a little more space.  
  
After a few failed tries, he managed to get it open and poked his head in the room.  
  
As it turned out, Shemeeka was just climbing down from her hideaway in the attic when Yugi looked in the door. "Shemeeka!" he whispered, his voice soft but surprised.  
  
She whirled, her aqua eyes wide. "Yugi?" she whispered incredulously. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Shemeeka, Jamie told us the whole thing. We're here to get you out of this house," Yugi replied.  
  
Shemeeka only hesitated a second before answering. "I-Is Jamie okay? I mean, did she get out before.before."  
  
Yugi nodded. "She's fine. She made it to Seto's house and told him what had happened. He came and got us."  
  
"Are they in the house?"  
  
"Yes, but we can't spend much longer in here," Yugi whispered frantically. "Shemeeka, please, we have to go, now. Is there a way we can get out of the house from this room?"  
  
Shemeeka thought a moment. "Well, there's a window in the attic near a drainpipe.we might be able to shimmy down it."  
  
"Good. Lock your door, grab anything you absolutely can't live without, and let's go," Yugi instructed.  
  
Shemeeka nodded. "Can you take Teresa for me?" she asked, handing Yugi the gray tabby cat. Then she produced a duffel bag from under her bed and threw a change of clothes, her sketchbook, and all the pictures she'd drawn into it. Yugi was too caught up in the situation to notice that all the pictures on Shemeeka's wall were of him.  
  
Then, letting down the ladder, they climbed into the attic.  
  
It was impossible to move through the attic without at least some boards creaking, so they gave up on the silent tactic and settled for moving as fast as they could. Shemeeka threw open the window and opened her duffel bag. "Put Teresa in here," she said quietly. "It'll be easier."  
  
Yami, who was waiting a stone's throw away, looked up and saw what the two were planning.  
  
// Aibou, throw down the duffel bag. I can catch it and make it easier on you both, all right? //  
  
/ Don't drop it, Yami. That has Shemeeka's kitty in there. /  
  
// Drop it? Me? Perish the thought. Just throw the bag, would you? //  
  
/ Are you sure about this? /  
  
// If I drop the bag, you can take apart the Millennium Puzzle. Now just throw it! //  
  
/ Okay, Yami. I trust you. /  
  
Yugi looked up from his momentary trance. "Yami's waiting down there, Shemeeka. Throw him the bag."  
  
"But what if he-"  
  
"He won't drop it," Yugi reassured her.  
  
Shemeeka bit her lip, but then held the bag out the window. "Here goes," she whispered, letting the strap fall from her fingers.  
  
Teresa mewled as Yami leaped straight up in the air, catching the bag as it fell into his arms and landing gracefully on his feet.  
  
Then, one by one, Yugi and Shemeeka shimmied down the drainpipe and joined Yami. "You two go back to the Game Shop. Lock the door behind you," Yami ordered. "I'll wait here for Seto and Jamie."  
  
"But-" Yugi protested.  
  
"Go!"  
  
Yugi knew better than to argue with Yami when he got like this. He hefted Shemeeka's bag onto his back, being careful to avoid jarring Teresa. Then he guided her across the street and into the Game Shop, locking the door behind them.  
  
Yami looked up, frowning. "You'd better hurry, Blue-Eyes."  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
Jamie and Seto split up, each searching a room but staying within earshot of each other.  
  
"Find anything?" Seto asked, glancing over the living room and frowning at its preciseness. The room was way too precise for a family with a sixteen- year-old girl. In fact, the rest of the house was the same way. What kind of family was this?!  
  
"Couple of broken beer bottles," Jamie replied, poking her head in the kitchen. "But-what was that?"  
  
Her ears perked up as she detected the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. "Seto, I just heard something. I'm going to check it out."  
  
"Be careful, sweetheart," he replied, moving into the den.  
  
Jamie took a few steps into the kitchen, her heart beginning to race. "I know I heard something, but what was it?" she whispered.  
  
She had just walked past the door to the basement when a large, meaty hand landed on her shoulder. Eyes widening, she whirled to see Mr. Tsumachiro, his eyes hard yet unfocused, looming over her.  
  
"You're the brat that was here earlier," he slurred, and even at that distance Jamie could still detect the smell of alcohol on his breath.  
  
The momentary shock gone, realization flooded through Jamie like a tidal wave. "SETO!" she shrieked, just before Mr. Tsumachiro clapped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shut up!" he growled. "I'll deal with you in a minute."  
  
Terrified, Jamie bit his hand hard enough to draw blood. "SETO!"  
  
Angered, Mr. Tsumachiro slapped the side of her head, sending her senses reeling. Colors spun before Jamie's eyes, and suddenly she couldn't keep her balance. The world was blacking out-  
  
Seto entered the room just in time to see Jamie collapse to the ground at Mr. Tsumachiro's feet, unconscious.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Woo! Another cliffhanger! Whoever invented cliffhangers was a genius.  
  
Seto: You're being malevolent again.  
  
Yami: whistles Big word.  
  
Seto: I have a big vocabulary.  
  
Yami: Don't you just hate it when she does cliffhangers?  
  
Seto: Indubitably.  
  
Yami: There you go again with the big words.  
  
Seto: shrug It's part of my charm.  
  
Don't worry, everything is going to end up happy in the end. But that end will come a lot faster if you review! Nice, supportive, helpful reviews are always welcomed. Hint, hint. Anywho, Joey the Flame Swordsman and Flamina, the angel minion of fire are going to torch, annihilate, wipe out, destroy, obliterate, demolish, eliminate, and eradicate all nasty reviews.  
  
Seto: Macavity, put down the thesaurus.  
  
Hush. Anyway, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, right, Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine. The plotline is mine, Jamie Light is mine, and Shemeeka Tsumachiro is FOG's.  
  
Seto: That was.unexpected.  
  
Yami: She's using the psychotic laugh! Run!  
  
Seto: gulp Too late!  
  
Me: glomp  
  
Yami: Oof.  
  
Seto: Oof.  
  
Author's Notes: Yes, this is part three of As the Fog Clears. Yes, it's really long. But read it anyway, because it's good, as far as I'm concerned. I'd also like to point out something: as you've noted, this story has characters that are not in the actual show. One belongs to FOG, whom this story is dedicated to. The other is mine, because Shemeeka needed a best friend. I don't consider them Mary Sues, but if you do, please just bear with it.  
  
Special Dedication: This story is dedicated to FOG, who is a marvelous authoress and a very good friend of mine. FOG, if you're reading this, please don't kill me! I know I did some mean stuff to Shemeeka, but there IS a happy ending, I promise!  
  
That said, Macavity and Dragon Enterprises present.As the Fog Clears, chapter three!  
  
~*~*~  
  
As the girl slumped to the cool tiles, icy blue eyes rose to glare at Mr. Tsumachiro. "What did you do her?" Seto growled, his voice a terrifying, feral sound.  
  
"Who are you to challenge me, you skinny little nothing?" the big man laughed drunkenly. He stepped forward, as if daring Seto to challenge him. "I could squash you like an insect!"  
  
"Try me," Seto replied, a strange, cunning smirk on his face.  
  
But though Mr. Tsumachiro was bigger and stronger, the blue-eyed boy had pure rage on his side. His fists flew out once, twice; and the next thing Mr. Tsumachiro knew he was on the floor with a bleeding nose.  
  
"W-Wha-" he stammered in disbelief.  
  
Seto's next words were cold and unpitying. "That was for what you did to Shemeeka," he snarled.  
  
Another fist slammed into the big man's face. "That was for terrifying Jamie this afternoon."  
  
Another fist, this time knocking a tooth loose. "That was for making your daughter live in constant fear of you."  
  
Fist by fist, punch by punch, Seto listed all the crimes Mr. Tsumachiro had committed against Shemeeka, Jamie, and their friends. The big man never even stood a chance; Seto was faster and a heck of a lot angrier. He tried weakly to block the punches, but to no avail.  
  
"And finally, that was for what you just did to Jamie!" Seto barked, his fist pounding into Mr. Tsumachiro's already-bloody nose.  
  
As the blue-eyed boy walked over and tenderly lifted Jamie into his arms, Mr. Tsumachiro managed to croak out, "Who are you?"  
  
Seto turned, his unforgiving eyes boring into Mr. Tsumachiro's. "I am Seto Kaiba, and these girls are under my protection now."  
  
And then he turned and walked out, Jamie still in his arms.  
  
When Seto made it back to the Game Shop, the door was still locked. However, Yami was peering out the window and rushed to open the door when he saw Seto coming back.  
  
As Seto walked inside, Yami's eyes went wide. "What happened to Jamie?"  
  
"That scum of a thing Shemeeka calls a father knocked her unconscious," Seto replied. He laid Jamie down on the window seat, gently stroking her hair.  
  
Yami frowned. "You didn't kill him, did you?"  
  
Seto looked up. "I wish I had. How dare he lay a hand on my Jamie. She didn't do anything to him," he replied, the worry slowly becoming evident in his tone.  
  
Yami knelt beside him, looking Jamie over with his violet eyes. "You're tense and angry and frustrated, buddy," he murmured, glancing over at the brunette boy. "Look, why don't you take a walk or something, clear your head."  
  
Seto bit his lip. "Thanks for the offer, Yami, but I don't want to leave her." He dug his fingers into his soft chestnut hair, rejoicing at the slight, tingling pain he received. "I shouldn't have let her go in there!"  
  
"Seto, calm down," Yami replied, gently moving Seto's hands off his head. "Don't blame yourself for this. I doubt you could have stopped her from going, anyway. Even if you'd told her to stay, she would have gone after you two."  
  
"But I promised her no one was going to get hurt," Seto whispered, unable to look at Yami. "I promised her and look what happened."  
  
Yami didn't have a reply to that. Instead, he just watched Seto, frowning at how vulnerable his best friend looked. "Come on, Seto, don't do this to yourself."  
  
"Anyone I ever care about always gets taken away from me," Seto replied, absently running his fingers over his trench coat. "My parents.Mokuba.Jamie."  
  
Yami was about to say something else, but just then Jamie stirred, whimpering slightly.  
  
Immediately Seto was up, cradling her in his arms, looking down on her pretty face. "Jamie? Sweetheart, are you okay?"  
  
Slowly, torturously slowly, her eyes opened. "Seto.? What a.great way.to wake up." she whispered, a weak smile playing across her delicate features.  
  
Despite himself, Seto began to smile. "Not awake ten seconds, and you're already teasing me," he murmured, gently kissing her forehead. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I think so.is Shemeeka okay?"  
  
"She's upstairs with Yugi," Yami said softly. "She's fine."  
  
Jamie's eyes lit up. "Then are they-"  
  
"Unfortunately, no." Yami looked a little annoyed. "I don't understand why they won't admit they like each other, kiss, and get this whole thing over with!"  
  
Jamie looked thoughtful. "Halloween is next week, right?"  
  
"What does Halloween have to do with them?" Seto demanded, obviously confused.  
  
"Shemeeka's birthday is on October 31. I thought maybe we could throw a party for her, Seto." Jamie said, stopping her sentence to cough. "And I was thinking we could make it a costume party." Her speech was becoming much clearer; less broken.  
  
Seto began to smile as he caught on. "Jamie, have I ever told you that you're a sneaky little piece of work?"  
  
"No, but you've told me I'm cute, cuddly, and loveable," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "Take me home, please?"  
  
Seto grinned. "For once, Yami, Jamie thought up the sneaky plan. Call me when Yugi's out and we'll work out the details. We'll be at the mansion."  
  
Then, lifting Jamie into his arms, the two brunettes exited the Game Shop.  
  
Yami just stared at them. "What on earth-never mind. I don't want to know."  
  
~*~  
  
All these events happened on a Friday, so Jamie had two days to recover before she went back to school. She ended up being pretty annoyed with Seto (because he insisted on having her stay at his mansion and then wouldn't let her out of the house), but that wasn't that big of a problem.  
  
In all actuality, staying at Seto's wasn't as bad as Jamie pretended it was. Shemeeka ended up rooming there to stay away from her own house, so at least the brunette had someone to talk to.  
  
Of course, Shemeeka was new to the idea of being waited on hand and foot, but it wasn't THAT hard to get used to.  
  
On Sunday, Shemeeka went into Jamie's room to say hello, just as she did every day. "Hi there, O Hospital Patient," she said cheerily.  
  
Jamie just scowled. "Okay, let me just make this perfectly clear: there is nothing wrong with me. I can walk around. My head does not hurt. Of all the boyfriends I could have, I got stuck with the overprotective one," she said, a little louder than necessary.  
  
Shemeeka jumped as a voice replied, "I heard that, Jamie."  
  
Jamie smiled at the ebony-haired girl and held up an intercom that Seto had apparently given her. "You were supposed to, sweetheart."  
  
"Would you prefer I kick you out of the house and make you go take care of your uncle, as opposed to having my servants do it?"  
  
"I'd love to, but you won't let me stand up. As much as I like having you carry me around, Seto, I am capable of walking on my own," Jamie replied, rolling her eyes. "You don't have to be so protective of me. I can take care of myself."  
  
"That's right, snookums, and tomorrow Joey is going to kick my butt at Duel Monsters," was Seto's reply.  
  
Jamie giggled. "Okay, you win. But promise you won't stay down in that stuffy office all day, okay? You work too hard."  
  
"I hereby promise I will not stay in this stuffy office all day. I couldn't, anyway. There's no bathroom in here."  
  
Both girls laughed, and Jamie turned off the intercom. "I'll tell you one thing, being around him is never dull."  
  
"I'll say," Shemeeka agreed. "Planning on doing anything interesting today?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, I thought maybe I'd invent a cure for cancer, achieve world peace, run for Congress, and then possibly go out to dinner, time permitting," Jamie replied, grinning and crossing her eyes.  
  
Shemeeka smiled. "Okay, Senator Light. But seriously, what are you doing?"  
  
"Well, Seto still won't let me out of the house, so I'm pretty much stuck here. A little later I'll probably go challenge him to a duel, but for now I'm free. Why? You busy?"  
  
"No, unfortunately," Shemeeka sighed. "You know, my birthday is on Tuesday, and I was just thinking about things."  
  
"You're going to be seventeen, right?"  
  
"Actually," Shemeeka corrected with a small smile, "I'm going to be sixteen."  
  
"But I thought you were already-"  
  
"I have an October birthday, so when I registered for school I put myself down as sixteen. I figured a month or two was no big deal," she explained.  
  
Jamie cocked an eyebrow. "Sneaky."  
  
"Yeah. I've always been the baby in my family, so I really wanted to be thought of as sixteen instead of fifteen."  
  
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Could be worse. Joey and Tristan are both sixteen, and look how they turned out."  
  
"True. So tell me how old everyone is, in order from oldest to youngest."  
  
"Well, Seto is seventeen, and he's a junior in high school. Yami is the same. Everyone else is in our grade," Jamie said thoughtfully. "I think Tristan is the oldest, then Joey. They're about a month apart. Yugi is about four months younger than Joey, and Ryou is the youngest of the guys. He turns sixteen in December. You fit in between Yugi and Ryou, and I'm the very last, turning sixteen in May."  
  
"Cool. I'm not the youngest anymore."  
  
"Now then, if your birthday is on Tuesday, then we must hold a party for you," Jamie said enthusiastically. "Which reminds me, what do you want for a present?"  
  
But strangely, Shemeeka looked like she was about to cry. 'Want? Isn't it obvious what I want? I want Yugi to love me!'  
  
"I don't know," she said at last. "I have friends, a safe place to stay.what else could I want?"  
  
Jamie smiled sadly. It was obvious she knew what Shemeeka had been thinking, but she didn't mention it. "Well, we'll have to go shopping, then. My treat, okay?"  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
Just then, there was a tap on the door. Pushing the door open, a little black-haired head peeked in the room. "Hey, Jamie? My big brother says to bring this to you."  
  
Jamie looked up. "Hi, Mokuba! Come on in."  
  
Mokuba Kaiba entered the room, holding a medium-sized, silver-wrapped present. "He said I had to bring it because he couldn't trust any of the servants to do it."  
  
Shemeeka waved slightly. "Hi, I don't believe we've met. I'm Shemeeka Tsumachiro."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Mokuba said with a slight bow. "I'm Mokuba. Sorry I can't stay and talk, but I'm supposed to meet some friends down at the arcade in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Yugi?" Jamie inquired, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Nope, some kids from school. They can't figure out how to beat this one level in Seto's virtual reality game, so I'm going to go show them how it's done." Mokuba wore a sly smirk not unlike his older brother's when he finished.  
  
Jamie giggled. "Try not to mercy them too badly, Mokuba."  
  
"You got it, Jamie. See you later, Shemeeka."  
  
And then he was gone.  
  
Once he left, Jamie and Shemeeka both eyed the present. "What do you think it is?" Shemeeka wanted to know.  
  
"Who knows?"  
  
"Aren't you going to open it?"  
  
"Nah. I'm just going to sit here, stare at the pretty wrapping, and fantasize about what it could be."  
  
"Jamie!"  
  
"Kidding, kidding. Let's open it," Jamie agreed.  
  
She carefully undid the ribbon, frowning at the small holes that it had previously covered up. "What could this be? The only thing that would have holes in the box is-"  
  
Her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh, he didn't!"  
  
"What? What?!"  
  
The brunette all but tore off the wrapping, reaching inside hopefully. Her face lit up with joy and she pulled out a tiny golden retriever puppy with big brown eyes. There was a dainty blue collar around its neck, and a little silver charm hung from it.  
  
Shemeeka rushed forward to pet it. "It's so cute!" she exclaimed.  
  
The puppy looked up, looking happily at Shemeeka. It raised its head and thumped its tail against the bedspread as she stroked its little nose.  
  
Jamie giggled, picking up the puppy and holding it close to her chest. "I used to have a puppy, but after my parents died, I couldn't keep him. My uncle said we had to give him away because the house was too small, so he got sent to my cousins. They live in Iowa and had plenty of room for a dog. But I haven't seen them in two and a half years, and I miss my little Sunshine a lot. I guess Seto remembered."  
  
Shemeeka held out her arms. "Can I hold him?"  
  
"Sure," Jamie replied. She handed the little puppy to Shemeeka and turned on the intercom once again.  
  
"Seto, I love you!" she cried happily. "He's sooooooooo cute!"  
  
Soft chuckling could be heard on the other end. "Anything for my little invalid."  
  
"Don't call me that."  
  
"Did you look at its collar yet?"  
  
"Why?" Jamie asked suspiciously.  
  
"Just look."  
  
Shemeeka sat down next to Jamie and held out the puppy so she could check the tag. The puppy whimpered a little and hopped out of Shemeeka's arms, its tiny paws sliding every which way.  
  
It only took one glance. "Seto!" Jamie groaned, trying not to laugh. "You named it Joey?!"  
  
"What? It fits."  
  
"It still wasn't very nice!"  
  
"I concede your point. No puppy deserves the agony of being named after Joey Wheeler. You'd better change it."  
  
"Seto!" But then, she burst out laughing. "All right, I forgive you. Thank you so much! I love you!"  
  
"You too, sweetheart. Now you have something to do today, anyway. After all, you can't go out somewhere and leave that poor little puppy all alone in this great big house, right?" Seto replied slyly.  
  
Jamie rolled her eyes. "Someday, I'm going to get you for this. Mark my words, Seto Kaiba, I will get you."  
  
"You're cute when you're angry. I'll come up and see you a little later, okay? Stay out of trouble. And don't let the puppy do anything to my furniture."  
  
"Bye." Jamie turned off the intercom and looked up at Shemeeka. "You doing anything special today?"  
  
"No, except for keeping you company and playing with this adorable little puppy-wuppy," Shemeeka cooed, stroking the golden fur of the puppy's head.  
  
"What is your cat going to say about this?" Jamie asked with a smile.  
  
"Teresa can suffer. She's always first in my book, but for now I want to give my attention to this cute little bundle of fur," Shemeeka replied.  
  
Jamie ended up naming the puppy Hikari, and the girls played games with him the rest of the afternoon. The brunette tried to bring up the subject of Yugi, but Shemeeka always carefully avoided the subject.  
  
Finally Jamie just came right out and said it. "Shemeeka, do you want Yugi to be your boyfriend?"  
  
The ebony-haired girl bit her lip and didn't say anything for a few moments. But at long last, she whispered, "Yes. I really, truly do."  
  
"Okay," Jamie replied quickly. And that was the last she said about it.  
  
However, inside her mind, the wheels of inspiration were slowly turning.  
  
~*~  
  
The days practically flew by, and then next thing Shemeeka knew, it was her birthday. There were a few perks, like the birthday cake the gang surprised her with at the lunch table that day, but all in all she was pretty gloomy.  
  
After all, why bother to celebrate? The only thing she wanted was for Yugi to love her, and that sure wasn't going to happen anytime soon.  
  
Jamie picked up on this, and suggested they walk home from school together. Of course, Shemeeka agreed.  
  
The ebony-haired girl kicked at a few stray leaves as they walked through the long, colorful streets. Fall was her favorite season, both because of the colors and because of her birthday. There was nothing Shemeeka enjoyed more than watching the leaves turn colors, jumping in the large piles they made when they fell. But this year, there wasn't any joy in it. The gold, auburn, and plum hues of the leaves only reminded her more of Yugi.  
  
"So, how does it feel to be sixteen?" Jamie asked, trying to start a conversation.  
  
"It's okay, I guess," Shemeeka replied dismally. "You know, same old thing. I don't feel any different, anyway."  
  
"Well, Sheem, I don't know about what you guys did back where you used to live, but here it's an unwritten rule: every girl deserves a sweet-sixteen party," Jamie said mischievously. "I already talked to Seto, and he said we can use the mansion tonight. So how about it?"  
  
"I don't know, Jamie. I'm not big on the whole girly-girl thing."  
  
"Who said it was going to be girly-girl stuff?" Jamie countered, her eyes wide with mock horror. She put her hands on her hips and eyed Shemeeka, a tiny grin threatening to spread across her face. "This is Halloween, isn't it? We're going to have a costume party!"  
  
Shemeeka looked startled. "A costume party? Really? That sounds great!"  
  
"Cool. We can drop off our school stuff at Seto's, change, and go out shopping for costumes. What do you want to go as?"  
  
The ebony-haired girl looked thoughtful. 'Should I? If Yugi's going to be there it might be embarrassing, but-'  
  
"Dark Magician Girl," she replied with a smile. "It's my favorite Duel Monster; why not dress up as her for Halloween?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Jamie agreed.  
  
By now they were only a block or so from the mansion, so they hurried there and then raced out to the store for costume ideas.  
  
The plan had been set into motion.  
  
That night.  
  
Jamie opened the door of the mansion, carefully adjusting her black cat's ears as she did so. "Hi, Joey! C'mon in!" she exclaimed, flashing him a wide smile.  
  
Joey grinned back. "Hey. So what'd I miss?"  
  
"Nothing. You know the party couldn't start until you got here."  
  
Hikari, who was sitting obediently at Jamie's feet, stretched forward and sniffed Joey, familiarizing himself with the new scent. The little puppy yipped once or twice, pawing at the trousers of Joey's gangster costume.  
  
Joey looked down. "Aw, no! Don't tell me he got that thing just to tick me off!"  
  
"Nope. He's mine, actually, but I can't keep him at my house because my uncle says our house is too small. I figure this mansion is big enough for one tiny puppy."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Nice costume, by the way," Jamie enthused, leading him into the large dueling arena where they had decided to hold the party.  
  
Joey looked down at his pinstripe suit and shiny black shoes. "Yeah, thanks. It was either this or a baby kangaroo, you know?"  
  
Jamie groaned. "That was so bad, Joey."  
  
"True."  
  
Joey couldn't help but gape in awe at how different the whole stadium looked. The entire floor was bathed in an eerie blue light, and the holo- generators were programmed to create the image of a random monster at various intervals. An elaborate sound system was set up in one corner, and it appeared that Seto was controlling it from the dueling platform on the far end of the room.  
  
The billionaire was dressed in a green tunic and white leggings, with a sheathed sword on his back and a green cap on his head. Comfortable brown boots covered his feet, and he wore a pair of brown fingerless gauntlets on his hands.  
  
Jamie and Joey walked over to say hello, and Joey couldn't help but stare at the blue-eyed boy's attire.  
  
Seto noted this with a touch of amusement. He glanced down at his costume. "Hey, it was Mokuba's idea," he said good-naturedly.  
  
Joey nodded sympathetically. "Tell me about it. Serenity wanted to dress me up as a baby kangaroo."  
  
Seto couldn't conceal a snicker. "From chihuahua to joey? I don't think so."  
  
Jamie bent and scooped up Hikari, who had followed them and was sitting patiently behind Jamie's left heel. "This is the only puppy dog currently in this house, Seto," she cooed, stroking the puppy's head.  
  
"Yes, and it's much more obedient than Joey will ever be," Seto replied.  
  
Joey, deciding to ignore this, looked around at all the other people currently there. "Jeez, look at them costumes!" he exclaimed.  
  
There were people milling about all over the floor of the arena. There was a Dark Magician Girl with long, highlighted black hair (Shemeeka); an Elvis in customary white rhinestone-studded suit (Tristan); and a short black- haired boy wearing a leather jacket, a fedora, and holding a bullwhip (Mokuba).  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow at Seto and gestured towards Mokuba. "Who's he?"  
  
Seto rolled his eyes. "Hello? Anyone home in there? He's Indiana Jones!"  
  
Joey blinked rapidly and looked at Mokuba again. "OH! Indiana JONES! Right. I knew that."  
  
Jamie giggled and hugged Seto. "Enough of this. Joey, why don't you go down to say hello to everyone. Only three more people and then the party can really start."  
  
Once again, Joey raised an eyebrow at this. Seto shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? She wants me all to herself. I'm telling you, Link is a babe-magnet."  
  
"He is! He's got like seven chicks all after him in Ocarina of Time alone!" Mokuba shouted up from the dance floor.  
  
Joey just laughed and headed down to join the others.  
  
~*~  
  
To any bystander, the two white-haired boys that walked up to Seto's doorstep could have been mistaken for twins. The only difference (besides the fact that one was slightly shorter than the other) was that one wore a deerstalker cap, brown trench coat, and was carrying a meerschaum pipe. He also held a plate of pumpkin-shaped cookies covered in tinfoil.  
  
The taller one scowled. "I still don't see the point of dressing up, Ryou. Why make a fool of yourself?"  
  
"It's a tradition, Yami. Besides, it is a costume party, after all," Ryou replied, smiling up at Yami Bakura.  
  
"It's a stupid tradition."  
  
Ryou sighed, knowing better than to argue with his stubborn Yami. "If you say so."  
  
Yami Bakura frowned, seeing Ryou's dismay at his answer. "Look, just because I don't like it doesn't mean you can't."  
  
The smaller boy brightened. "Okay." Then he blushed. "Um, Yami? Could you ring the doorbell for me? My hands are kind of full."  
  
Yami Bakura chuckled, ringing the doorbell and taking a step back. "All right, aibou. When the party's over, call me and I'll come pick you up." He reached out and brushed back a lock of Ryou's silvery-white hair that had escaped from the hat's hold. "Knock them dead, kid."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to come, Yami?" Ryou asked, his eyes hopeful.  
  
But Yami Bakura shook his head. "Nah. Parties aren't really my thing. But don't worry about me. I'll go over to Malik's house, hit on Isis just to tick him off, and we'll entertain ourselves tonight."  
  
Ryou smiled knowingly. "Don't vandalize too many houses, okay?"  
  
"Why? Were you saving that carton of eggs for something else?"  
  
The smaller boy just rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. But please, Yami, promise me three things."  
  
"What are they?" Yami Bakura asked suspiciously.  
  
"No drugs or booze, don't get caught, and only vandalize the houses of people we don't like."  
  
At that, Yami Bakura stared openly. "You're twisted, Ryou, you know that? You're really, seriously twisted."  
  
Ryou shrugged. "I guess I've been hanging around you too much."  
  
Now Yami Bakura laughed. "All right. Have fun, kiddo. I'll see you later."  
  
And then, sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked away towards their home.  
  
~*~  
  
At last everyone was there. Jamie had just answered the door and let in Yugi and Yami, who were dressed as the Dark Magician and an Egyptian pharaoh, respectively. Shemeeka's birthday party could finally begin.  
  
For the first twenty minutes, everyone just wandered, listening to the music and admiring each other's costumes. Ryou's Sherlock Holmes outfit was a crowd favorite.  
  
Shemeeka made sure to carefully avoid Yugi, even though she was longing to throw herself into his arms. The Dark Magician costume was perfect for him, and exactly matched his eyes.  
  
Oh, how badly she wanted him to walk over, say he was sorry, say that he loved her and they could be together.  
  
'Guess it's not going to be such a happy birthday, after all.'  
  
Jamie walked over to her. "Everyone has such great costumes," she murmured. "I almost feel a little bit plain among everyone else."  
  
"Key word being almost," Shemeeka replied instantly.  
  
Jamie grinned. "You know me too well, DMG. Come on, enough with all this boring "you look so cool" stuff! Let's DANCE!"  
  
Seto flashed her a thumbs-up and hit play. Immediately, Smash Mouth's "All Star" began blasting out of the enormous sound system. The individual holo- squares of the arena ceased to project monsters and instead began flashing with colored light. Four spotlights that had been rigged to the actual projectors swept the floor, individually illuminating every person on the dance floor.  
  
Joey, getting in the spirit of things, leaped a foot in the air. "It's time to PARTY!" he yelled.  
  
They danced for an hour or two, sometimes slow, sometimes fast. After a while, Seto did come down and join them. He claimed he had two left feet and wouldn't be caught dead dancing in front of people, but Yami quickly righted that.  
  
"I've seen you playing Dance Dance Revolution, Mister Humility!" Yami called. "Now get your Kokiri rear in gear and get down here!"  
  
Seto couldn't keep a grin off his face. "Your wish is my command, Pharaoh Amenhotep IV!"  
  
Yami groaned. "Man! It's Tutankhamon, dude! Not Amenhotep! Tutankhamon! Greatest pharaoh of them all!"  
  
"That's not what you said at home, Yami," Yugi put in, smiling mischievously.  
  
"Is there no such thing as privacy?!" Yami complained.  
  
"You said yourself that you picked this costume because you wanted to go as- "  
  
Yami quickly clapped a hand over Yugi's mouth. "I'm starving!" he said quickly, cutting Yugi off. "Do we have food?"  
  
Jamie winked at him. "Of course. Seto, why don't you go show Yugi and Yami where it is?"  
  
Seto nodded knowingly. "Sure. Yami, Yugi, come with me."  
  
And with that, the three duelists left the room.  
  
Shemeeka raised an eyebrow at Jamie. "Is this some sort of surprise birthday present that they're rigging up for me?"  
  
Jamie, who had already gotten a cookie and had just bitten into it, immediately choked. "Wh-what-huh?" she managed between coughs.  
  
"They are, aren't they!"  
  
Jamie knew she couldn't lie to her best friend. However. "Yeah, sort of. It was mostly Seto's idea. See, they're going to-"  
  
"No, don't tell me!" Shemeeka exclaimed, giggling. "Let it be a surprise!"  
  
Jamie smiled knowingly. "All right, then. It will be a surprise."  
  
But when Yami, Yugi, and Seto returned, there were no surprises. After a while, Shemeeka forgot all about it.  
  
After another half-hour of dancing, Seto stepped up and raised a microphone to his lips. "Hey, there, everyone. This is your magnificent, illustrious, incredible-"  
  
"And not the slightest bit conceited, right?" Yami yelled, grinning.  
  
"Of course not," Seto replied instantly. "Anyway, I'm your splendiferous, serendipitous, not at all supercilious-"  
  
"You forgot all-around sweet and sexy!" Jamie called, enjoying the slight blush that swept over Seto's cheeks at her words.  
  
The green-clad boy quickly got over it, though. "Okay, okay, enough of the big words. I'm your host, and we're all having a great party, right?"  
  
"YEAH!"  
  
"And we all want our birthday girl to have a great one, right?"  
  
"YEAH!"  
  
"All right, then. That brings us to our next and most special dance of the night: the first-ever Sweetheart dance! All you lucky guys out there, find the sweet little girl who strikes your fancy and ask her now! Be gutsy, fellows, because for this one dance alone, they can't say no!" Seto explained. "Unfortunately, I myself will not be able to participate because I have to run the music. But that's okay because I know Jamie would never turn me down anyway. Hey out there, snookums!"  
  
"Don't call me snookums!"  
  
"Whatever, snookums. Now then, let's go!"  
  
Seto popped a CD into the sound system and let the music play.  
  
  
  
How will I start  
  
Tomorrow without you here?  
  
Whose heart will guide me  
  
When all the answers disappear?  
  
  
  
Is it too late?  
  
Are you too far gone to stay?  
  
  
  
Best friends forever  
  
Should never have to go away.  
  
  
  
Shemeeka turned her eyes toward Yugi, hoping for some chance that he would come over and ask her to dance, some chance that he felt the way she did.  
  
But instead, she watched the Dark Magician walk over to Jamie. They murmured unintelligible words to each other for a few moments before Jamie placed her paw on Yugi's outstretched hand.  
  
Yugi glanced up at Seto for a minute, who nodded encouragingly. And then, together, they moved out onto the dance floor.  
  
So that was it. That was why Yugi, Yami, and Seto had left the party for those brief minutes. All this time, Yugi had liked Jamie, and he wanted to ask Seto's permission to dance with her.  
  
"It figures," she whispered, heartbroken. "The guy I like always falls for my best friend."  
  
Wallowing in anguish, she made her way over to the punch bowl, pouring herself a cup and making sure to face away from everyone so no one could see her despair. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing Yugi and Jamie dancing together, the way she'd always imagined she and Yugi would dance one day.  
  
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't see the Egyptian pharaoh she knew was Yami walk over to her side. "Why so sad, Shemeeka? It is your birthday, after all," he said softly.  
  
Shemeeka wouldn't meet his gaze. "It's-it's nothing, Yami."  
  
"Somehow, I don't think it's 'nothing'."  
  
"I don't know," Shemeeka sighed, trying to come up with a plausible lie. "Just no one to dance with, that's all."  
  
"You'd be happy if you were dancing with Yugi, though." Yami's words were a statement, not a question.  
  
"I don't know," Shemeeka whispered, looking away, trying to hide the pain in her aquamarine eyes.  
  
Yami smiled gently. "I'm sure it's not the same, but would you like to dance?"  
  
Shemeeka considered this a minute. He wasn't Yugi, even though they looked alike.but still, Yami was a nice enough guy. It was her birthday, after all, so why not at least try to have some fun?  
  
"Sure," she replied. "Sounds like.fun."  
  
  
  
What will I do?  
  
You know I'm only half without you.  
  
How will I make it through?  
  
  
  
They moved out onto the dance floor and Shemeeka hesitantly moved forward into Yami's arms. They danced conservatively for a few moments, but then Shemeeka got another glance of Yugi and Jamie.  
  
By then, Jamie had her head on Yugi's shoulder and a blissful expression on her face. The costumed Dark Magician was smiling as well, allowing one gauntleted hand to stroke her loose brown hair. Together, they looked perfect.  
  
Shemeeka couldn't have been more miserable. She knew Jamie couldn't refuse this dance.but still, it hurt. It hurt a lot.  
  
She turned back to Yami, looking at the black silk mask that covered his incredibly violet eyes. "T-Thank you for dancing with me," she whispered.  
  
And then, the pain became too horrible for her to bear. Unshed tears in her eyes now streamed freely down her cheeks, and she cried openly into Yami's shoulder.  
  
  
  
If only tears could bring you back to me,  
  
If only love could find a way,  
  
What I would do, what I would give if you,  
  
Returned to me, someday, somehow, someway.  
  
  
  
If my tears could bring you back, to me.  
  
  
  
Yami smiled sadly and let her weep into his shoulder, holding her close. "You really love my aibou, don't you."  
  
"Oh, Yami, I do," Shemeeka sobbed, raising her face to stare at him with wet aqua eyes. "I love him so much, more than anything else, and I don't know what to do!"  
  
Yami nodded sympathetically, so she continued, "He means so much to me, it hurts to see him dancing with someone else! I-I keep thinking that if only I'd told him sooner, before this whole terrible mess with Tea started, m- maybe he might have felt the same way.but now it's too late and he'll never know!"  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Yami asked tactfully. "Did he ever tell you he doesn't care for you?"  
  
Shemeeka bit her lip hard. "I-It's obvious he doesn't.h-he's dancing with Jamie now, not me.I've cried every night, wishing he'd somehow know how I feel, but my tears are worthless!"  
  
  
  
I've cried you an ocean,  
  
If you'd sail on home again,  
  
Waves of emotion,  
  
Will carry you and all they can.  
  
  
  
Yami smiled, stroking her cheek. "Your tears are not worthless."  
  
"Yes they are!" Shemeeka cried. "How could they be worth anything? He doesn't love me!"  
  
"Shemeeka.it's been so hard for me to say this, but now I see I must. Shemeeka.I'm in love with you," Yami whispered.  
  
Shemeeka looked up, smiling weakly. "Yami, I'm sorry, but.well, it wouldn't be the same. You're not Yugi."  
  
A tiny smile played across Yami's features. "I'm not?"  
  
That's when it happened.  
  
  
  
Just let love guide you,  
  
And your heart will chart the course,  
  
Soon you'll be drifting,  
  
Into the arms of your true north,  
  
  
  
Look in my eyes, you'll see,  
  
A million tears have gone by,  
  
And still they're not dry,  
  
  
  
Yami reached up, lifting off his mask and revealing a pair of sweet, violet eyes.  
  
Shemeeka's eyes went wide, and she gasped audibly. "Y-Yugi?!"  
  
And indeed it was. When Yami and Yugi had gone with Seto into the kitchen, they had changed costumes. It was YAMI who had been dancing with Jamie. This whole time, YUGI had been the Egyptian pharaoh. And that meant-  
  
"This whole time.everything I said." Shemeeka stammered, still in shock.  
  
Yugi nodded, raising a finger to her lips to silence her. "Shhh. Yes. I heard the whole thing."  
  
"Y-You don't hate me?"  
  
Yugi shook his head, smiling softly. "I LOVE you," he whispered.  
  
And then he leaned in and kissed her.  
  
To try and describe how much emotion was let loose in that one single embrace is something all writers attempt to do, but none ever achieve. Yugi's hands tangled in Shemeeka's loose hair, assuring them both that they weren't going anywhere. The kiss just went on, and on, and on, neither wanting to leave the delicious warmth of the other's embrace.  
  
But at last, lack of breath forced them to break off. New tears, tears of joy, shone in Shemeeka's eyes. Aquamarine met violet as they gazed at each other, ignoring everything but the fact that they were together at last.  
  
Never breaking eye contact, Yugi leaned forward and placed a kiss on Shemeeka's forehead. "Happy birthday," he whispered.  
  
Shemeeka hugged him tightly. "Don't ever let me go."  
  
"Never," Yugi promised, smiling. "Never."  
  
  
  
If only tears could bring you back to me,  
  
If only love could find a way,  
  
What I would do, what I would give if you,  
  
Returned to me, someday, somehow, someway.  
  
  
  
If my tears could bring you back, to me.  
  
  
  
I'd hold you close,  
  
And shout the words,  
  
I only whispered before,  
  
  
  
For one more chance,  
  
For one last dance,  
  
There's not a thing that I would not endure,  
  
  
  
Jamie and Yami swayed over to where Yugi and Shemeeka were still standing, even as the song drew to a close.  
  
"So, what do you think of our present?" Jamie teased, winking at Shemeeka.  
  
"I don't know whether to hate you or kiss you!" Shemeeka cried, grinning at Jamie.  
  
Yami groaned. "Please, let's skip the 'kiss her' part. Yugi, can we change costumes back now? This Dark Magician suit is too small and it's like an oven in here."  
  
"One thing first, Yami," Yugi said absently, returning to staring into Shemeeka's eyes.  
  
Yami rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just don't get the costume all nasty when you kiss. That thing's a rental, you know, and it cost-ow!"  
  
He broke off to clutch his now-bruised shin from Jamie's hard kick. Jamie just smiled innocently. "We'll leave you two alone, I think. Come on, Yami."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Yami moaned in agony, letting Jamie drag him away.  
  
Shemeeka giggled softly, looking up at Yugi. Slowly, she stopped, mesmerized by his intense gaze.  
  
Yugi leaned close, his lips millimeters from her ear. "You're beautiful, you know," he murmured, warm breath making her shiver.  
  
She reached up, entwining her arms around his neck. "I love you, Yugi, so much more than anything."  
  
"And I you," Yugi replied, pulling back to grace her with a series of butterfly kisses on her lips. "Forever and ever."  
  
  
  
If only tears could bring you back to me,  
  
If only love could find a way,  
  
What I would do, what I would give if you,  
  
Returned to me, someday, somehow, someway.  
  
  
  
If my tears could bring you back, to me.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Jamie sighed, resting her head on Seto's shoulder. "They're so perfect for each other."  
  
"I know," Seto whispered back, slipping an arm around her waist. "Just like you and me."  
  
They stood there in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's presence, until Yami made his way over to them.  
  
He and Yugi had finally switched back, though Yugi was annoyed at having to tear himself away from Shemeeka, even for a second. Fortunately, both had worn jeans and T-shirts underneath their costumes, so they were able to make a quick change of clothes right there on the dance floor.  
  
Yami, in full pharaoh's attire, sidled up to Jamie. "You know, we Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats," he teased, grinning at the two brunettes.  
  
Seto groaned. "Yami, would you give it up? For once, I have a girlfriend who's more attracted to me than you! It's not going to change anything!"  
  
"Plus, there's no way you could score a date with me with THAT pick-up line," Jamie added, rolling her eyes.  
  
"But it's the truth!"  
  
"That's not the point. It's the principle of the thing. We females like sweet, refined, subtle pick-up lines. Seto, an example, please?"  
  
Seto grinned, placing a kiss on Jamie's forehead. "Hey, baby. Do your feet hurt? 'Cause you've been running through my mind all night."  
  
Now it was Yami's turn to groan. "You call that refined?!"  
  
"Hey, he IS my boyfriend."  
  
Yami turned a full-fledged pout on her, his eyes wide and innocent. "But.but I've only gotten to dance once at all tonight.and that was pre- arranged.I feel left out.alone.exiled.no one likes me.snuffle."  
  
Jamie glanced up at Seto. "Yami, that's the worst lie I've ever heard, but."  
  
Seto shrugged. "Hey, he's done it to all the others. Why not you, too? Sure, go dance. I have to run the music, anyway."  
  
"I'll be back, Seto. And then you can make Yami run the music while we kick it on the dance floor."  
  
Yami snorted. "Seto? Kick it?! Somehow that image just won't come to mind."  
  
Jamie smiled slyly. "Well then, you'll just have to see it for yourself."  
  
They made their way down onto the floor, just as Seto turned off the song. "Okay, thank you, that was our Sweetheart dance. That means, that song is now over. Would the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl in our midst PLEASE untangle themselves from each other so we can continue? Thank you," he said over the loudspeaker.  
  
Blushing furiously, Yugi and Shemeeka stepped away from each other, resigning themselves to just hold hands.  
  
"That means fingers too, guys."  
  
Shemeeka shot a death glare up at Seto. "Excuse me?!"  
  
"What? This is my own personal dueling arena! If you two get any mushier, you're going to melt into Yugi-and-Shemeeka-puddles. I don't want that kind of mess in my stadium!" Seto replied, still speaking to them over the loudspeaker.  
  
Rolling their eyes, Shemeeka and Yugi dropped their hands and stood next to each other.  
  
"That's better," Seto said with a smile.  
  
They continued dancing for a while until the last slow song of the night came on. Seto managed to get Yami to take over the sound system and stepped down to the floor, the barest hint of a smile on his face.  
  
Jamie looked up, eyes hopeful. "Can I help you, Link?"  
  
"Why yes, I believe you can," Seto replied teasingly. "Shall we dance, kitty-cat?"  
  
She grinned, stepping into his arms. "I thought you'd never ask."  
  
Romantic music wafted out of the speakers, and Jamie caught a glance of Yugi and Shemeeka dancing together, completely lost in each other's eyes. "They look so happy," she sighed blissfully, reaching up to entwine her arms around Seto's neck.  
  
"I know. I'm glad they found each other," Seto replied softly.  
  
Jamie smiled up at him. "I'm even more glad you found me."  
  
Seto weaved his fingers through her hair, staring into her turquoise eyes. "I've always wanted to dance with you like this, Jamie. I'm so lucky, so incredibly lucky that you're mine."  
  
"I'm the lucky one, Seto," Jamie murmured, watching him intently.  
  
"Do you remember that day in the park, the day we first met?"  
  
"How could I forget?" she replied, smiling.  
  
"Jamie.sweetheart, that was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I wasn't sure what you'd do, or what you'd say-"  
  
Jamie reached up and placed a finger over his lips, silencing him. "Was it the truth, what you said?"  
  
"Yes," he replied, in a voice barely below a whisper. "Yes, it was."  
  
She smiled. "Then nothing else matters."  
  
"It's just.so many people in my life had already hurt me."  
  
"And you were afraid that I might hurt you, too?"  
  
He smiled weakly. "Well.sort of."  
  
"Seto, I love you more than anything, and nothing is ever going to change that," she whispered, raising her face in hopes of a kiss.  
  
The billionaire didn't disappoint her, leaning down and brushing his lips over hers. "You're everything to me, Jamie, everything."  
  
Jamie sighed again, resting her head on his shoulder. "You and Yami joke about him trying to steal me away from you.that will never happen, Seto. I'm yours, only yours."  
  
"And I wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Jamie let her eyelids flutter closed, concentrating on nothing but the fact that Seto was holding her close in his arms. "I like this song."  
  
Seto stroked her hair comfortingly. "I love you, snookums."  
  
"You too.forever and ever."  
  
Yami interrupted them however, when he decided to shut off the CD and pick up the microphone. "Ahem. Would Link and the goddess Bastet in our midst PLEASE untangle themselves from each other? This IS supposed to be a party, you know."  
  
Seto calmly looked up, flipped Yami off, and continued dancing with Jamie.  
  
"Now THERE'S the Seto I know," Yami said with a chuckle. "Okay, everyone, it's time to party!"  
  
Yugi and Shemeeka immediately moved into each other's arms. Seto and Jamie did the same. Ryou, Joey, Tristan, and Mokuba all decided to prank-call Tea. And once again, Yami started the music.  
  
For this one moment in time, everything was perfect.  
  
THE END  
  
Oh, and here's what happened after all this:  
  
-Yugi and Shemeeka are still in love.  
  
-Jamie is still trying to get Seto to wear a leather jacket.  
  
-Unbeknownst to Jamie, Seto has actually BOUGHT a leather jacket, he just hasn't told her about it.  
  
-Unbeknownst to Seto, Jamie discovered the leather jacket and has decided to keep it quiet as a bargaining chip for later.  
  
-Yami is currently writing a book, "1,000 Pick-Up Lines for the Suave Ancient Egyptian." When last we heard, he was somewhere around #13.  
  
-Yami Bakura broke his promise and egged the Game Shop, but he claims that's all just splatter marks from when he egged Shemeeka's house.  
  
-Malik, who was under no such promise, egged everyone's house.  
  
-Isis accidentally thought Yami Bakura was Ryou, and as such accepted his invitation to go out sometime to cheese Malik off.  
  
-Seto has not yet gotten to ram a car through Shemeeka's house.  
  
-Instead, he and Yami got Tea really drunk, put HER unconscious body behind the wheel of a car, and rammed it through the front of Shemeeka's house.  
  
-As such, Tea is in jail and is being sued for all she's worth.  
  
-Tristan has yet to have a major part in any one of these stories.  
  
-At Joey's request, KaibaCorp is now running tests to try and figure out why older siblings always seem to do whatever their younger siblings ask them to, even if it means wearing a baby kangaroo costume.  
  
-Mokuba became an expert at crank calls and is considering becoming a telemarketer for a living.  
  
-What Yugi never revealed was that Yami had actually based his Halloween costume on Cleopatra, considering the costume store didn't carry Tutankhamon stuff.  
  
-Jamie and Yami still have not had their Super Smash Brothers showdown.  
  
-Yugi and Shemeeka kiss a lot.  
  
-Don't ask how we know that.  
  
-We don't quite know ourselves.  
  
-Although it may have something to do with the security cameras in Seto's mansion.  
  
-Hikari is going to be starring in Air Bud ® 109,632: Hacki-Sack Pup. Watch for it in theaters whenever Macavity ends up owning Yu-Gi-Oh and the use for disclaimers becomes nonexistent.  
  
-Sources indicate that the real mastermind behind Tea's plot to split up Yugi and Shemeeka was, in fact, Mai Valentine.  
  
-She claims she was just trying to add drama to the story.  
  
-Don't believe her.  
  
-She's jealous because she didn't make an appearance at all in this story.  
  
-Yami has been experimenting with putting other things in Seto's coffee, though he actually stopped for a short period of time.  
  
-This was right after he put powdered Ex-Lax in Seto's coffee.  
  
-Right before he had a big meeting with the shareholders of KaibaCorp.  
  
-Seto still has not forgiven him for that.  
  
-We don't blame him.  
  
-Yami still has not found out why Jamie can make Seto go out for a Slurpee whenever she wants.  
  
-The world may never know.  
  
-Jamie and Shemeeka managed to get the dress code rules changed at Domino High School, and as such, everyone can wear whatever they want whenever they want.  
  
-Joey started a petition to change the policy to: no shirt, no shoes, no problem!  
  
-He accumulated a total of four signatures.  
  
-Three of them were his.  
  
-Needless to say, it failed.  
  
-Miserably.  
  
-To support Joey's petition, send $50 in small unmarked bills to Macavity today.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Whee! I finished another unnecessarily long story! I'm so proud of myself!  
  
Seto: Ex-Lax?! In my coffee?! BEFORE A BOARD MEETING?!  
  
Yami: snickers and hides the evidence  
  
Seto: I liked this story.  
  
Yami: Wonder who the fourth signature on Joey's petition was?  
  
Seto: Probably Macavity. She'd like to see us without shirts or shoes.  
  
Yami: Hide the pictures of us in swim trunks. Quickly.  
  
That's the end of this special, one-of-a-kind story for FOG. Happy birthday! I hope you all had as much fun reading this as I did writing it! Joey the Flame Swordsman and Flamina are going to torch any mean reviews. That said.hit the little purple button and review! 


End file.
